I see its written, yes, she answered, confirming it was her signature. De Atley is a Cal State Long Beach graduate with a double major in journalism and political science. Ultimately, officials determined it was not the McStay family in that video. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. He said healing will be a lifelong thing for his family, but he knows they can do it together. [26], According to the arrest warrant affidavits filed in the case, autopsies concluded that all four victims had been beaten to death with a blunt object. Michael McStay remembered the day detectives told him and his family that the bodies of his brother, sister-in-law, and nephews had been discovered in the desert. "The extreme violence and savagery of the nature of the killings -- particularly of two small children -- far outweigh the totality of all of the mitigating evidence," the judge added. I did not do this thing.. On Feb. 15, the family was reported missing to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. called the investigation into his son's disappearance . Chase, you are a low-life baby killer, Blake said as Merritt stared at her impassively. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Radio host Rick Baker published a book, No Goodbyes: The Mysterious Disappearance of the McStay Family. His son, Joseph, his daughter-in-law, Summer, and their two little boys - Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3 . " Finally, Joseph McStay's only surviving son from a previous marriage, Jonah McStay, took. Susan explained that her son and daughter-in-law would often go on 'little mini-trips' with their kids in California, so they weren't alarmed at first. Joseph managed a company that built decorative fountains, and Summer was a licensed real estate agent. She would fawn over him and call him, her Joseppi. A license plate search for the vehicle led to the discovery that the McStay's SUV had been towed from a parking lot near San Ysidro, California, right near the U.S.-Mexico border, on February 8, 2010, four days after they went missing. Here are some last-minute, Best last-minute Valentines Day gifts for him, These are places to live on the West Coast, Scooter rider killed in crash near border identified, SD Co. Sheriff: 2022 inmate death now ruled a homicide, A new pirate-themed speakeasy has washed ashore in, This SD campground is among the best in America, CA extends tax deadline to Oct. 16 for disaster areas, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Patrick McStay, Joseph's father, was informed of the discovery and phoned missing person advocate Jerrie Dean to tell her what he knew. His face was stoic. He had this problem right up until the day he went missing. The 58-year-old Merritt is. The thing that is bringing you this solace, is ending my life. Michael did not find any family at home, and their two dogs were in the backyard. The family's computer had recent internet searches for: 'What documents do children need for traveling to Mexico?' ', Getting worried:Susan had her son Mike stop by the family's San Diego County home on February 13, 2010, nine days after her son was last heard from, Confusing: Upon Mike's arrival, he noticed that Joseph's 1996 Isuzu Trooper was missing, but their dogs were in the backyard, Abandoned: When Mike crawled through a window of the San Diego County home, he discovered food rotting in the kitchen. According to prosecutors, greed was the motive for the killings and Merritt killed the McStays because he had been embezzling thousands of dollars from Joseph McStay's business. In the book, he speculated that Summer might have committed the murders. Their dogs. California has not executed anyone since 2006. Joseph McStay's mother, Susan Blake, followed. With the motions finally out of the way, the judge moved on to the victim impact statements just before 11:20 a.m. Merritt was also expected to speak after the victims delivered their statements. His attorney also says Merritt himself will want to speak. He had a son from a previous relationship, who he didnt get to see much of and he was terrified that would happen with his two boys if he left Summer. He then spoke to his friend several more times on his mobile over the course of the afternoon and actually missed a call from him at 8.28pm, which was the last time Joseph used his phone. And while he does not believe Summer was directly involved, he will dedicate a significant amount of the book to her behavior and the couples relationship. Two Shallow Graves takes a look at the murders of the McStay family: Joseph, Summer and their two young boys, followed by the shocking trial . NBC 7 was once again inside the courtroom Tuesday. It was to me, at the time, very scary, so I literally walked out and said If my son loses his business, so be it, I need to find my family and I left., Under questioning by Rodriguez, Blake described the argument as filled with A lot of, lot of cussing, screaming at each other Chase wanted to wring his neck.. When the bodies were found, he offered a refund to those who purchased his book before November 2013. While Merritt does not think Summer was directly involved, he has revealed she treated Joseph horrendously in the years before they went missing. For years, police speculated they went to Mexica, but the McStays bodies were later found buried in the Mojave Desert in November 2013. I would never raise my hand to a woman or a child.". Investigators believe that Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their sons, 4-year-old Gianni and 3-year-old Joseph, were bludgeoned to death in their home in the San Diego County community of Fallbrook on Feb. 4, 2010, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said Friday. Le 9 fvrier 2010, il avait envoy un courrier lectronique au pre de Joseph McStay, alertant de la disparition de son associ : Je n'ai pas de nouvelles de Joe. On February 15, Michael phoned the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSD) and reported that his brother and his family were missing. Summer McStay's ex-husband spoke next. The surviving McStay family members held an emotional memorial for. The bodies of Joseph McStay, 40, and his wife Summer, 43, along with their sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, were found in a shallow grave in the desert north of Victorville in 2013. Patrick McStay has waited for this day, when he finally gets to speak in court, gets to speak for his slain son Joseph McStay, daughter-in-law Summer and two young grandsons. I have been in complete denial about having schizophrenia for the last few years. The court took a brief break. The McStays' disappearance from their serene San Diego-area community of Bonsall has since prompted an investigation by police who still have no idea what happened. [28], In January 2018, a trial-setting conference was scheduled for February 23. Two members of a renowned legal family had been shot and killed on their property. The trial in the downtown San Bernardino Justice Center is before Judge Michael A. Smith. We used to speak to each other 10 or 12 times almost every day and we would talk about absolutely everything. Our last name is mentioned. Four years ago, Patrick McStay lost everything he loved. He boasted it had a "loft/game room & big. A deep pause followed as Michael McStay tried to collect himself. As court resumed, the judge said Maline had made yet another motion: to disqualify this judge from ruling on the remaining motion to reduce Merritt's sentence. Everything with her seemed to be done for gain.. Two days later, two sets of remains were officially identified as those of Joseph and Summer McStay. Why? Imes asked, and Michael broke down on the witness stand. At the time, Joseph owned an online company named Earth Inspired Products that sold decorative water fountains. When the McStays car was found in San Ysidro on the Mexican border four days after they were last seen and security footage of a family of four an hour later heading into the Central American country surfaced, the idea they had left of their own accord gained momentum. Immediately, the mysterious case gripped the community. (Will Lester . Testimony in the trial is scheduled to continue Wednesday. I was not his best friend, but he was mine and I believe he opened up to me about things he would not tell anyone else. The sentencing was supposed to begin at 8:30 a.m. but was delayed by about an hour because Merritt, for unknown reasons, wasn't transported to the courthouse. Charles Chase Merritt was convicted in June of killing his former business associate Joseph McStay, McStays wife, Summer, and their 4- and 3-year-old sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr. The bodies of the McStay family were found buried in the Mojave desert in 2013, three years after the family vanished from their home in San Diego County. Josephs illness was well documented and had left his entire family completely baffled. But despite that public front, I know, prior to their disappearance they had not had sex in more than a year. Joseph McStay, 40, and his wife, Summer, 43, went missing along with their two children, Gianna, 4, and Joseph, 3. It was believed to have been parked there between 5:30 and 7:00 that evening. 'This despicable, evil monster. Charles "Chase" Merritt appears at his sentencing hearing in San Bernardino, California, on Jan. 21, 2020. Prosecutors told jurors Merritt killed the family after learning McStay was cutting him out of his business making and selling custom water fountains. And then the family that was killed by their own friend?'" Patrick also searched for their son in Mexico and thought he had a lead when a family claimed to have seen the McStays at Walmart, but security footage confirmed it wasn't them. If I want to speak with him, I have to go to a gravesite," Michael McStay added. He will focus on a number of key incidents and characters and try to paint a picture of what really happened in the lead up to that fateful day. On February 13, Joseph's brother Michael traveled to the McStay residence and climbed in and gained entry to the home upon finding an open window in the back. After 8-Hour Day in Court, Sentencing Delayed for Man Who Killed McStay Family. Indian lodge motel in joseph oregon. Blakes testimony came during the second day in the capital murder trial of Charles Chase Merrit, 61, of Rancho Cucamonga. She said the day detectives told her they had found her family's bodies, it felt as if she'd been hit by a boulder. His arrest was announced on November 7, 2014. The impression I get is that Summer would use her sexuality to get attention and get what she wanted. During that period, she got an early-morning call from someone in Saudi Arabia, demanding his fountain, she recalled. He was married to Summer McStay for seven years. In a preview clip from the episode about the McStay family, Patrick recalled speaking to his son in the morning on the day they disappeared. [8], On February 4, 2010, at 7:47pm, a neighbor's surveillance system captured the bottom eighteen inches of a vehicle, thought at the time to be the McStay family's 1996 Isuzu Trooper. Sheriffs investigators believeSummer McStay may have been rapedbefore she was killed. Chase Merritt sobs and says I did not do this thing. "The constant questions when we are out. And she recounted for Rodriguez how she gave $4,410 in personal checks to Merritt in the months after her son and his family disappeared, based on Merritts claims he needed the money to complete projects for the business. Merritt was due to speak next. He was the last known person to see Joseph alive, during an hour-and-a-half long meeting in Rancho Cucamonga, California just hours before the family vanished into thin air. He was visibly shaken, fighting back tears. In the gallery sat Merritt's daughter and brother. How the Princess of Wales recreated her 2006 outfit from Prince William's Sandhurst graduation Behind-the-scenes at fashion week with the Spencers! Theres nothing more valuable on this Earth than time and that was stolen from them; that was stolen from us," he said. In further sensational claims, Merrits new book Afraid of the Light will detail how the couple were having major problems in their relationship and had not had sex for more than a year before they went missing. How they stalked the stalker: A gripping new true crime 'It did get weird': Couple who are in the middle of divorce Woman finds out her husband was cheating on her after he was made an equally emotional statement ahead of the sentencing being handed down, telling the court how the killings had scarred their lives. California has not executed anyone on death row since 2006 as current Gov. Seven months later, on November 11, 2013, an off-road motorcyclist came across human remains in San Bernardino County's Mojave Desert. Susan said they would stop in little towns that had just a gas station and a grocery store to post flyers. Prosecutors say he bludgeoned them with a sledgehammer. They said McStay told friends Merritt was doing shoddy work and pilfering money from him. A grainy video captured at a nearby border crossing deepened the mystery. He was arrested last year. He just gave me the quote of the day on the continuing delays. The disappearance of Joseph, Summer and their two sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3 gripped the nation for almost four years, keeping people guessing until their bodies were discovered lying in a shallow grave in the Californian desert on November 15. "I loved Joseph. 'They actually thought that was really them going over the border on the video,' said Susan, who was skeptical but still headed to Mexico to search for her family. Yes, sir, McStay replied. 'It's like they went poof,' Susan recalled. Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, TN residents say Jack Daniel's distillery spews black mold, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' Just a monster., After a delay, the convicted killer of the McStay family of Fallbrook will be sentenced today. Doctors couldnt diagnose the energy-sapping condition and according to his close friend, Chase Merritt, he started to suspect that his fiery wife may have something to do with it. [2][7] The deaths were ruled a homicide and San Bernardino County authorities said they believed the family died of blunt force trauma inside their home, but declined to discuss specifics of the deaths or a motive. Merritt is accused of killing his former business associate, Joseph McStay, McStay's wife Summer, and their two small children on Feb. 4, 2010. I'm so bummed out after realising my diagnosis made a few years ago is legitimate. The book will be released later this year. This despicable, evil monster. Merritt added: If Im honest, I have no idea why he put up with it. Joseph, 40, was suffering from a mystery illness in the months before he went missing with Summer and their two young children, and would spend days in bed barely able to walk. The bodies of two members of a family that went missing in 2010 have been identified. Oscar Cainer tells all, How to dress like a grown up: Trust me, loose fit can be flattering, says Shane Watson, Anti-agers no one but you needs to know about,Inge Van Lotringen tells all. For years, police speculated they. [35], Last edited on 11 February 2023, at 23:11, "Business partner arrested in McStay family slaying, desert burial", "Trial underway for man accused of killing 4 from San Diego", "Charles Merritt Sentenced to Death for Killing McStay Family, Burying Their Bodies in Mojave Desert", "Authorities distribute 'endangered missing' flier pertaining to missing McStay family", "Buried bodies identified as members of missing McStay family", "Man last phoned by McStay father says he took polygraph test", "Author of McStay book criticized by victim's family", "After discovery, mystery of McStay family's disappearance deepens", "Investigators say Missing McStay family left voluntarily", "McStay Family Update: FBI Joins Search for Missing Family", "Search for Missing Fallbrook family continues", "McStay family Mystery: Who is Chase Merritt", "Tentative trial date set for McStay family murder suspect 'Chase' Merritt", "Backlash over book's new theory on McStay murders", "Merritt attorneys want McStay case dismissed", "McStay family murder suspect Charles 'Chase' Merritt fires attorneys", "McStay family murder suspect Charles 'Chase' Merritt wants new attorneys", "San Bernardino judge allows McStay family murder suspect to have more case files in his cell", "Lawyers for defendant in McStay family murder case want some evidence tossed", "San Bernardino judge delays ruling in bid to exclude key evidence in McStay family murder case", Charles Merritt Found Guilty Of Slaying McStay Family, "Jury recommends death penalty for man who killed McStay family", "Southern California man sentenced to death for killing family of 4", "ID's Two Shallow Graves: How did Charles "Chase" Merritt know the McStay family and where is he now? They got their first clue when they learned a neighbor's surveillance camera had captured what appeared to be the family'sIsuzu trooper leaving the cul de sac at 7:47 p.m. on the night they went missing. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The back of the check said endorsement cancelled, he pointed out. . Why were they gone? [31] The trial finally began on January 7, 2019, in a San Bernardino court, with both sides making opening statements. Mike crawled through a window and discovered food rotting in the kitchen, and Summer's prescription sunglasses were also left on the table. Victorville, California CNN . Joseph and Summer McStay were found buried in shallow desert graves along with their two young sons nearly four years after they vanished from their suburban California home (San Bernardino. Did you always look up to him Imes asked. Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, vanished from their home in Fallbrook, California, on February 4, 2010. , updated The attorney argued a motion to reduce Merritt's sentence in the killings of Summer McStay and the children to life in prison without the possibility of parole rather than the death penalty previously recommended by the jury that convicted Merritt. Sentencing still has not happened. Summers ex husband made good on a promise the two made years ago and just played a portion of Norman Greenbaums Spirit in the Sky. Merritt who was once a person of interest in the familys 2010 disappearance claims some of Josephs friends started telling him to be careful around Summer, 43. You start calling his cellphones, her cellphones,' she said. Joseph and Summer McStay had two sons Gianni and Joseph Jr. 2023.03.03 04:09 oz2usa I'm so bummed out after realising my diagnosis made a few years ago is legitimate. A neighbor's security camera was triggered at 7:47PM when the McStays . Investigators testified they believed the victims were tortured before they were killed. I even went to the hospital with him to try and see what was wrong; we thought maybe it was stress.'. But even then rumors of dubious dealings with Mexican cartels bubbled away. Ill never get another conversation with him. His most recent felony conviction, in 2001, was for the theft of $32,000 worth of welding and drilling equipment from San Gabriel Valley Ornamental Iron Works in Monrovia, California. Maline spent several hours speaking before the judge. Finally, Joseph McStay's only surviving son from a previous marriage, Jonah McStay, took the podium. January 21, 2020 Merritt, 62, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Joseph McStay, 40. By We are scarred for life., Its been almost 10 years and the pain hasnt subsided, she added. Vanished: Mike also discovered Summer's prescription sunglasses on the kitchen counter, Looking back: Summer is pictured wearing her prescription sunglasses prior to the family's disappearance, Case to crack:There were no signs of forced entry or any foul play, which baffled investigators and suggested the family left on their own accord, First clue: Their neighbor's surveillance camera had captured what appeared to be the family's Isuzu trooper leaving the cul de sac at 7:47 p.m. on the night they went missing. The car's location from February 4 to February 8 remains unknown. And the fountain designer told MailOnline how Joseph once said to him, Maybe I should start eating out more and stop eating her food. The bodieswere found in November 2013and Merrittwas arrested and chargeda year later. "Ultimately, I hope to be a father and when I am, I will hold my children close," he continued. [34], On May 22, 2022, the case was looked at again on the Investigation Discovery docuseries Two Shallow Graves. [29] Merritt's attorney filed a motion in San Bernardino Superior Court on April 7, 2018, arguing that Joseph's business and accounting records were hearsay evidence and therefore inadmissible. The family disappeared without a trace in February 2010. - The mysterious disappearance of Joseph McStay, his wife Summer, and their two sons in February 2010 raised a lot of questions. Huh? Were just the clowns, - Britt Imes. Chase you are a low life coward and a baby killer. The attorney stopped Merritt, saying, "You can't.". He was in the hospital for a couple of weeks, and on the (February) 4, he was talking to my mother and he had to pull over when he was driving home because he felt vertigo type symptoms.'. Il avait t le premier dplorer la disparition de Joseph McStay et sa famille , en fvrier 2010. "corrupt" . Summers sister: My sister walked with a passion and purpose. Kavanaugh has denied any involvement in the familys disappearance and slayings. Obviously that was a real problem for Joseph and he used to talk to me about it regularly. On Monday, more than four years since his arrest in connection with the slayings, the family's accused killer, Charles "Chase" Merritt, is scheduled to go on trial on murder charges in San. He was a big part of my life and my familys life. And when four skeletal remains were found in shallow graves in the remote Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, it put an end to any belief the McStays had started a new life in the sunshine. The newly unsealed documents indicate Joseph McStay lent Chase Merritt money to cover a gambling debt before McStay and his family disappeared in February 2010. He conducted dozens of interviews on the case (traveling to Mexico, Belize, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic), followed leads, and reported sightings of the family. Jurors in San Bernardino. [3] The trial began on January 7, 2019, in San Bernardino. Dont worry, your fate will be way less tragic than of the family you murdered.. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. A Southern California man was sentenced to death Tuesday for the 10-year-old killings of a family of four whose bodies were found buried in shallow graves in the California desert. "The gruesome and brutal details of the crime that you committed are his family," she said to Merritt. She really didnt like anyone being around Joseph and the family other than herself and a very small, selective group of people. In October 2009, Joseph McStay excitedly e-mailed a friend about the house he and his wife had purchased in the San Diego suburb of Fallbrook, Calif. The judge has been speaking for the last hour - and still going, reviewing in slow, excruciating detail certain facts of the case. Chase, you are a low-life coward and a baby killer. [10], Over the next several days, relatives of the McStays unsuccessfully tried to contact the family. Joseph McStay and his wife, Summer, and their 4- and 3-year sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr., were a fun-loving, happy family who'd recently settled into a comfortable life in Fallbrook, California. "Death was the appropriate verdict for those three offenses," the judge said. Maline asked Blake about the point of that argument, again struggling against Rodriguezs objections: Chase is telling (Kavanaugh) that he is a liar, that he is getting the money and not giving it to him, he managed to outline to the witness. It would take years for investigators to discover the family's grisly fate. She also touched on the media attention and pressures her family has coped with for years, including questions from strangers. He would often come up and visit me and we would go out for dinner with my wife at the time, but Summer never came. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Then, he slammed the podium loudly with his hands.Come on, Chase! I loved Joseph. #mcstay #nbc7 pic.twitter.com/gDh8XuxqiV, Merritt said he has the "utmost disdain" for the investigators and prosecutors who "put them all in this courtroom" and for the people who, in his words, "manipulated the evidence.". Joseph and Summer McStay were found buried in shallow desert graves along with their two young sons nearly four years after they vanished from their suburban California home (San Bernardino. Basically, she wouldnt let him near her. Gavin Newsom has placed a moratorium on executions while hes in office. I would never have hurt him in any way. He would spend days on end in bed. He maintained his innocence, saying something has always been "amiss" in this case. Prosecutors contend greed is the motive for the murders. Father of Joseph McStay, whose remains and wife's were found this week after 2010 disappearance, calls San Diego Sheriff's Dept. He said: Summer was a very self-centered, self-obsessed person with an awful temper. They slept in the same bed, but were never intimate. [23] Merritt, who reportedly was the last person Joseph called from his cell phone, also said that he had passed a polygraph test and did not know anything that could help solve the mystery of the family's disappearance. I know you dont believe me and thats what kills me. DNA samples were collected from the McSays' family, friends, and associates, but investigators couldn't get a search warrant to access their financial records because there was no evidence of a crime at the time. The McStay family of Fallbrook was last heard from or seen on Feb. 4, 2010. Summer and Joseph McStay as well as their sons Joseph Mateo and Gianni had vanished without leaving much behind in terms of clues or without really informing any of their kith and kin. "We don't run this circus. An acquaintance of Merritt's told a San Diego reporter, "I think police should look at him and anyone associated with him. [33] The court upheld the jury's recommendation, and Merritt was sentenced to death on January 21, 2020. Their bodies were not found until 2013, when an off-road motorcyclist came across them in the Mojave Desert. Then a few people started putting the idea in his head that maybe Summer was behind it. He called Merritt a "ruthless mass murderer.".
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