Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The defendant faces four counts of murder and the possibility of the death penalty if convicted. Merritt not only had motive to carry out the grisly slayings, it seemed that he also had the opportunity. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Prosecutors say Merritt owed McStay more than $42,000. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, and it appeared they were tortured before they were killed. Merritt faces the death penalty if convicted as charged in the case. In November 2013, almost four years later, a motorcycle rider found two shallow grave sites in the desert, just north of Victorville. Woman is wearing light colore. Thats unusual.. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The man accused of killing the McStays, a family of four who disappeared in 2010 and whose remains were found in 2013 in the . When you look at the totality of the picture, you just came right back to its Charles Merritt, Imes tellsAmerican Greed.. The shocking find led to even more mysteries and revealed a surprising number of suspects who seemingly had motives to go after the family, according to a new series premiering this weekend on Investigation Discovery. I think its probably true; he has read everything, hes currently working on a book about his case and hes constantly working on it in some way. He tried to deflect the cops by claiming that Summer suffered from anger issues and that Joseph had failing health. Huong Lee and Long Nyugen were an elderly Vietnamese couplefrom Arlington, Texas, who wound up owing so-called spiritual healer Dephne Wright nearly $300,000. In April 2013, the San Diego Sheriffs Department turned the case over to the FBI, which was more equipped to investigate cases that involve other countries. Lying beside the family was a sledgehammer. Lord Hanuman Angry Animated Wallpapers Hd posted by Sarah Anderson a28a80e3cc. On Feb. 15, the family was reported missing to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. The McStay family murders occurred on or about February 4, 2010, after the family disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, United States. When Joseph McStay, his wife Summer, and their two young sons disappeared from the family's Fallbrook, California home in February 2010, it was as if they'd simply vanished into thin air. With trial footage, and with getting access to Merrit and to the prosecution and to the defense attorneys, I think we were able to creat a much more intimate picture for an audience that gives you the whole story, Mr Fitzpatrick says. Two days later, the remains were identified as the McStay family. San Bernardino judge allows "generic" McStay family photo to be used at Investigation Discovery's 'Two Shallow Graves' follows the trial of Charles "Chase" Merritt, accused of murdering Joseph McStay and his family. A bombshell witness upends the Merritt murder trial, claiming someone else confessed to the McStay murders. A few months before the McStay family disappeared from their Fallbrook home on Feb. 4, 2010, Summer McStay filed a Child Protective Services complaint against McFadden, according to Joseph McStay's father, Patrick McStay." McFadden has a pretty violent criminal history, and that coupled with Joseph wanting custody of his son, leads Patrick to . Merritt has said there is no direct evidence linking him to the crime scene. The bones found in shallow graves in Southern California's Mojave Desert belong to a San Diego-area family of four missing since 2010 and likely murdered, authorities said. In 2018, the trial was postponed again so that his current defense attorney could do more investigating, Merritt remained jailed without bail. Charles Meritt did the welding, creating some of the metal work, the fountains, and Joseph was the businessman behind it all, and from all accounts, he was flourishing, Shin tells American Greed.. The McStay family - whose bodies were found in a shallow grave in the Californian desert almost four years after they mysteriously vanished - could barely afford to pay $210 a week on rent just . Family members of the victims . Please be respectful of the memorial and do not leave any trash when you visit. Chase went on TVand talked about his relationship with Joseph and one of the key statements that he made was something to the effect of he was definitely the last person who saw Joseph alive, San Bernardino County Sheriffs Sgt. The morning of February 4, 2010, started like any other day for the family. McStay murders: A man is on death row for the brutal killings of a As the investigation continued, it also emerged that the last call from Mr McStays phone had been to Merritt whose cell phone pinged near a tower in the desert in the vicinity of the shallow graves. 'Two Shallow Graves': Everything You Need to Know About the McStay When Joseph needed to develop his bespoke company, he enlisted Merritt, a fabricator, for assistance. Mcstay-family-autopsy-photos - vencokapost.weebly.com How One Man's Greed Meant the End of the Entire McStay Family The family was from Fallbrook, a quiet bedroom community in San Diego County. CNN. Selena autopsy photo. The deaths have been ruled a homicide. Read Less Posted: Jan 23, 2015 / 12:29 PM PST No retrial for McStay family killer Charles Merritt, judge rules at Joseph and Summer McStay vanished from their . His trial hadn't even begun until January 2019 after he reportedly fired multiple attorneys as he tried to represent himself. Charles "Chase" Merritt was sentenced to death Tuesday for killing the McStay family of Fallbrook. Merritt was arrested for the family's killings the following year, when his DNA was discovered inside the family vehicle, dumped near the border, and fake company checks traced back to him. The paint was still fresh on the walls, the corners bordered by blue painter . This gave him a flexible schedule and the ability to work from home, so he could spend more time with his family. The car never returned to the home. McStay family murders - Wikipedia And then there was another associate from Mr McStays work, the computer whiz who maintained the company website a man whod sent messages to MrMcStay essentially threatening to destroy the site and ruin the business. The missing persons flier for the McStay family. Earlier in the week before the family disappeared, Summer had made plans to visit her sister, who had recently had a baby. According to reports, three years after their disappearance, the family's remains were unearthed in two shallow graves in a remote area of the California desert. While Joseph went to a work meeting, Summer spoke to her sister over the phone and planned to visit later. Suspicion had long fallen on Joseph McStays business partner, Chase Merritt, as he had been the last person to have contact with the family, and he also had a criminal record, albeit for small-time offenses. But there was an astonishing number of other people whod had significant run-ins with the McStays, according to the new series. The McStay family of Fallbrook were last heard from or seen on Feb. 4, 2010. Prosecutors claim he killed business partner Joseph McStay, McStay's 43-year-old wife Summer, and the couple's sons--4 year-old Gianni and 3-year-old Joseph Jr. The accused was found guilty of the charges against him. Nelson is a graduate of California State University Fullerton. McGee argued that the use of family photos and/or videos in the case should only be relevant if they are used for identifying victims, otherwise they are irrelevant. Chase, you are a low-life coward and a baby killer. The memorial is located about 200 feet west of Quary road and requires visitors to leave their car at Quary Road and walk east to the actual location. On a seemingly inconsequential day in early 2010, Mr McStay had a conversation with his father and told him he had a lunch meeting. The entire case left investigators and loved ones completely puzzled. In an interview with detectives just two weeks after the family was last seen, Merritt talked about his friend in the past tense. In 2014, he completed a fellowship at Loyola Law School's Journalist Law School program. Two Shallow Graves is a seven-part docu-series that delves into the details of the case.The premiere . The remains were identified as the McStay familys and were buried in two shallow graves. Charles Merritt, former business partner of Joseph McStay, has just been found guilty of killing the entire McStay family with a sledgehammer and burying their bodies in the desert. Publicly Merrittwho had several prior convictions on his recordclaimed to be Josephs best friend. San Bernardino County Det. At around 7:47 pm, part of the family car was captured on a neighbors surveillance camera, but there was no sign of the family after that. In Fallbrook, CA, their home was fifty miles north of San Diego and twenty miles inland from the Pacific coast. The family and friends of the McStays did not expect them to be at the Mexican border. The investigation revealed that Chase was a gambling addict who owed Joseph about $42,000. Around about February 4, 2010, the McStay family, Joseph, 40; his wife, Summer, 43; and their two sons, Gianni, 4, and Joey Jr., 3, disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, Ca. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The McStay Family Mystery' Saturday, Jan. 23 - San Bernardino Sun So without direct evidence, then they have to show enough circumstantial evidence to convice the jury that it was me at their home and who killed them.. Joseph McStay's business partner, Charles Chase Merritt, was eventually charged with the deaths of the McStay family after detectives found apparent evidence of desertion and, ultimately, foul play. The McStay family murders occurred on or near February 4, 2010, after the family disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, United States; their bodies were found in the desert near Victorville, California, on November 13, 2013. One of those suspects, Charles Chase Merritt, was convicted of the murders in 2019 and remains on death row in California. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- Prosecutors say a sledgehammer was used to kill all four members of the McStay family, and the 4-year-old boy was struck seven times. There is reportedly a DNA match that links Merritt to the McStay May 27, 2021 The McStay family murders occurred on or near February 4, 2010, after the family disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, Mcstay family autopsy photos Merritt is on trial for the murder of the McStay family from Fallbrook tried to cover his tracks after the murders. He found no signs of a break-in, except for a partially open window, which he used to get into the house. Investigation Discovery aired a docuseries focused on the McStay family murders in late May. January 30, 2015 / 2:32 PM / CBS News. Home; . Merritt disputes the theory and argues, in the documentary, that hed been the one raising the alarm about the McStays disappearance, claiming he would have reported the four missing if the family hadnt. Charles 'Chase' Merritt was convicted in June of killing his former business associate Joseph McStay, McStay's wife Summer and the couple's children The McStay family vanished from their San Diego . Nearly a decade after the skeletal remains of a family of four were found buried in the California desert, their accused killer was sentenced to death. Then a biker in the Mojave Desert finds their bodies in shallow graves. The gift by aselin debison free sheet music. Charles Chase Merritt Sentencing for 2010 Disappearance and Murder of Pic credit: San Diego County Police. When Joseph McStay, his wife Summer, and their two young sons disappeared from the familys Fallbrook, California home in February 2010, it was as if theyd simply vanished into thin air. The autopsy revealed all four victims died from blunt force trauma to their heads. Who murdered the McStay family? - YouTube Authorities say Merritt, a business associate of 40-year-old Joseph McStay, beat the family to death inside their residence. Joseph McStay's mother Susan Blake addresses the court during the sentencing of Charles Chase Merritt on Jan. 21, 2020 . Case 7, McStay. Prosecutors contend greed is the motive for the murders. Jan 2, 2018 By all accounts, Joseph McStay, age 40, and his wife Summer, age 43, were happy and living the American dream.. Investigators were stumped until they came upon a distressing hint that directed them towards Charles "Chase" Merritt, a close friend and business partner of Joseph McStay's. Two Shallow Graves on ID is examining the tragic murders of the McStay family, who were butchered by business associate Charles "Chase" Merritt, and buried in the desert near Victorville, California, in 2010. While there was little evidence and various theories floated around, nobody really precisely knew what happened to Joseph, his wife, and their two sons until years later. Merritt, in the series, contends: They didnt have any direct evidence to support that I did these crimes. There wasnt a sign or sound from them for nearly four years until an off-road motorcyclist came upon two shallow graves in the Mojave Desert, tragically revealing the bodies of the couple and their children. Although Merritt adamantly denied being at the location of the makeshift graves, To learn more about the case, tune into Monday's episode of. Therefore, since the identities of the victims need not andcannot be confirmed by visual inspection or photograph, any photographs of the victims are not relevant to prove or refute a disputed fact.. . It didnt take this long. Research genealogy for Elizabeth McStay of Draycott, Derbyshire, England, as well as other members of the McStay family, on Ancestry. Joseph Sr ran a successful waterfall business in suburban California, spending every inch of spare time with his raven-haired wife, Summer, and their two young sons, Gianni, four, and Joey Jr, three. Investigators believed that the family was willingly walking across the border, with no indication that they were in any distress. The ID series features new interviews with Merritt who, unsurprisingly, remains adamant that he is innocent as well as trial footage, interviews with legal teams and the McStays loved ones. Be the first one to comment on this story. Investigators discovered that neither of the familys cars had traveled to Mexico in years, so they believed that the family had not driven into Mexico during the unaccounted for four days. California man sentenced to death in killings of McStay family members in 2010 "I did not do this thing," Charles Jan 22, 2020 Smith upheld the recommendation the jury made on June 24, 2019, which said Merritt should be put to death for the murders of Summer McStay and Apr 22, 2020 Chase Merritt sentenced to death.. Much evidence linking Chase Merritt to the McStay family murders were presented by the prosecution.. Perhaps Jan 20, 2021 February 15, 2010 Family members report the McStays missing to the San Diego County sheriff's department. Charles "Chase" Merritt, left, reacts after being found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder of the McStay family, in San Bernardino Superior Court in San Bernardino on June 10. Elizabeth McStay, born 1905 - Ancestry On Thursday, February 4, the last day that the McStay family was heard from, Joseph attended regular work meetings. I would follow all of these paths, but I never followed just one to the exclusion of the others., She says: To be honest, I was not disappointed when they arrested Chase [Merritt] but scared that perhaps [investigators] didnt look into the whole thing enough because of the fact that we found so much compelling stuff in these other peoples files.. One of the most infamous murder cases in the Inland area will be a focus of the second season premiere of the Oxygen show "Killer Motive" Saturday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. Who Killed The McStay Family? According to the Los Angeles County Coroner Walker's body was discovered in a "pugilistic stance," meaning the 40-year-old actor died with his arms up, instinctively trying to shield his head and face from impact. Prosecutors told jurors Merritt killed the family after learning Mr McStay was cutting him out; they said the victim told friends Merritt was doing shoddy work and stealing money. McGees law partner, Rajan Maline, is also representing Merritt in the case. This site is to discuss and explore the Mcstay family murders. mcstay-family-autopsy-photos - kit.co With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Maria Carvalho (Providence, Rhode Island), who passed away on March 3, 2023. Family members of the victims were emotional in court during the preliminary hearing Monday. However, friends and family claimed this would be out of character, and the couple still had a large amount of money in a bank account that remained untouched. The authorities zeroed in on Chase after the remains were found and arrested him in the first week of November 2014. On November 7, 2014, police announced they had arrested Charles "Chase" Merritt, Joseph . Merritt's girlfriend gives him an alibi, but the prosecution attempts to discredit her . The McStay family of four was living a happy life, and had recently moved to a new house, which they were renovating and turning into their dream home.