Video recorded the evening of February 8, released on March 5, showed a family of four resembling the McStays crossing the border. Joseph McStay's brother, Michael McStay, took his turn. Chase, you are a low-life baby killer, Blake said as Merritt stared at her impassively. Theres nothing more valuable on this Earth than time and that was stolen from them; that was stolen from us," he said. They slept in the same bed, but were never intimate. We are scarred for life., Its been almost 10 years and the pain hasnt subsided, she added. He has been the entertainment editor, a features writer, a business writer and is now a courts and breaking news reporter. All rights reserved, Jury Recommends Death Penalty for Business Associate Convicted of Killing McStay Family, Business Partner Found Guilty in McStay Family Killings, Check Your Pockets: These Coins Can Be Worth Up To $24,000, Glendale Neighborhood Frustrated After an Illegal Hostel Moves In, NASA Images Show Southern California Mountains Before and After Winter Storm, Tax Deadlines Extended to October for Most Californians Due to Storms. "Ultimately, I hope to be a father and when I am, I will hold my children close," he continued. 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. Although a search of the house found no evidence of a struggle or foul play, there were indications of a hasty departure: a carton of eggs had been left on the counter, and two child-size bowls of popcorn sat on a sofa. Summer's sister stated that her passport was expired. Summer had also ordered a Spanish-language education program a few months prior to their disappearance. Jurors in San Bernardino. #nbc7 https://t.co/muZXjqJBFT. "I hope you burn in Hell," he told the man convicted of killing his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. In the family's home, investigators found bowls of uneaten popcorn, as if the family had just been there, and planned to return. He boasted it had a "loft/game room & big. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Josephs illness was well documented and had left his entire family completely baffled. We're just the clowns," Imes said. Merritt lashed out at prosecutors he said framed him, some witnesses he accused of lying and the judge he said allowed it to happen. "I did not do this thing. 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. Investigators testified they believed the victims were tortured before they were killed. What lack of sleep REALLY does to your face: Expert reveals the warning signs your skin is suffering, My Daily Horoscope: What does March 2nd hold for MY star sign? I see its written, yes, she answered, confirming it was her signature. There were no signs of forced entry or any foul play, which baffled investigators and suggested the family left on their own accord. Trademark and Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. He asked for funds to keep the business going, and at that time I would do anything to help my son probably not in my right mind anyway at that time, she said. " Finally, Joseph McStay's only surviving son from a previous marriage, Jonah McStay, took. She would shout at him in the privacy of their own home, but then put on a front like he was the most important person in the world when they were in public. Six victim impact statements were heard before Merritt got a chance to speak at the continued sentencing hearing Tuesday. The hearing, which consumed more than 10 hours, concluded with several emotional statements from McStays mother, brother, in-laws and surviving son, as well as from Merritt himself, who continued to maintain his innocence, I loved Joseph, he said, his voice shaking a times. [5], In 2010, Joseph McStay (age 40) and his wife Summer (age 43) lived in Fallbrook, California, with their sons Gianni (age 4) and Joseph Jr. (age 3). Patrick McStay was there, too, along with other members of the McStay family, including Joseph McStay's brother, Michael McStay. Chase, you are a low-life coward and a baby killer. Merritt also says Summer had a terrible temper and would often snap at her husband over completely insignificant things. [3] Merritt was charged with four counts of murder, and the district attorney sought the death penalty. (File photo by Kurt Miller, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG). [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. [4] On June 10, 2019, a jury found Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family. 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. San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Michael Smith upheld the jurys recommendation of death following a two-day sentencing hearing that included a flurry of last-minute motions from Merritt and his lawyer, who accused prosecutors of misconduct, Merritts earlier attorneys of incompetence and, on Tuesday, tried to remove the judge himself from the case. Joseph's father, Patrick McStay, told the Los Angeles Times in 2011. Our last name is mentioned. Il ne rpond pas au . The bodies of two members of a family that went missing in 2010 have been identified. [24] When asked if he thought Merritt was a suspect, Joseph's father Patrick said, "I have to have faith in Chase because I have to have faith in my son. All rights reserved. This despicable, evil monster. Crying for mommy and daddy? Blake was followed in testimony by her son and Joseph McStays brother, Michael McStay who said Joseph gave him $2,000 to start his fire sprinkler system business. Chase, you are a low-life coward and a baby killer. The mother of Joseph McStay provided emotional testimony on the second day of the McStay murder trial. Did you always look up to him Imes asked. 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. , updated An acquaintance of Merritt's told a San Diego reporter, "I think police should look at him and anyone associated with him. ', 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. 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. Chase Merritt, 62, is facing a potential death sentence, or life in prison. And now, victim impact statements before formal sentencing. "Our family has already received a life sentence. Just stop all the appeals, all the shenanigans. How the Princess of Wales recreated her 2006 outfit from Prince William's Sandhurst graduation Behind-the-scenes at fashion week with the Spencers! Now Merritt who actually took a voluntary lie detector test at the time of their disappearance and was the last person to see Joseph alive has decided to write a tell all book, in an effort to clear up the mystery. "Closer still because I know what it's like to lose people I love.". His arrest was announced on November 7, 2014. Merritt added: If Im honest, I have no idea why he put up with it. I would never hurt him in any way. She would fawn over him and call him, her Joseppi. By February 2016, he had gone through five attorneys. During the lull, NBC 7 spoke with prosecuting attorney Britt Imes about the continuing delays. That family that went missing? Michael did not find any family at home, and their two dogs were in the backyard. [27] Merritt's trial was delayed as he had repeatedly fired his attorneys or attempted to represent himself. [27], Prosecutors allege that Merritt had a gambling problem and killed the McStay family for financial gain. A lot of his close friends did not trust her and thought she treated him very badly. The bodieswere found in November 2013and Merrittwas arrested and chargeda year later. and Spanish language lessons. "[21][22], In 2013, Merritt acknowledged he had spent more than an hour with Joseph the day the McStay family went missing. Michael McStay said watching his parents bury his brother was the most "unnatural" thing he could've ever witnessed. Prosecutors eventually discovered that about the time the family vanished thousands of dollars in checks allegedly from McStay to Merritt had been written and cashed. If I want to speak with him, I have to go to a gravesite," Michael McStay added. [17] Because their car was found so close to the Mexican border, police reviewed surveillance footage of the pedestrian gate into Mexico. They said that he wrote checks totaling more than $21,000 on Joseph's business account in the days after the family was killed and then went on a gambling spree at nearby casinos, where he lost thousands of dollars. A grainy video captured at a nearby border crossing deepened the mystery. Investigators said they also traced Merritts cellphone to the area where the bodies were buried in the days after the family disappeared and to a call seeking to close McStays online bookkeeping account. "[22], In January 2014, Merritt said that he might write a book about the family, alleging that Summer had anger issues and that Joseph had been ill for some time with a mysterious ailment. He would spend days on end in bed. I just spoke to the prosecuting attorney in the Merritt case. Just a monster. [4], On June 10, 2019, a San Bernardino County jury found Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family. ", Chase Merritt watching and listening. Crying for mommy and daddy?" They took none of their belongings, left $100,000 in the bank and even abandoned their beloved dogs. The details are shocking and nauseating to sit through.". 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 . He was visibly shaken, fighting back tears. Joseph's cellphone pinged a tower in Fallbrook. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Ukraine soldiers shoot down enemy drones with drones of their own, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts. Merritt is fully aware that his book will ruffle feathers and anger certain people, but he believes his intimate knowledge of Josephs life means he may be able to shed some light on the mystery. Il avait t le premier dplorer la disparition de Joseph McStay et sa famille , en fvrier 2010. He maintains his innocence. "We don't run this circus. NBC 7 was once again inside the courtroom Tuesday. A judge denied a motion to reduce Charles Merritt's sentencing from the death penalty to life in prison wihtout parole in the killings of Summer McStay, Gianni McStay and Joseph McStay Jr. Michael McStay talks about how much he misses his brother Joseph McStay at Merritt's sentencing. A neighbor's security camera was triggered at 7:47PM when the McStays . Charles Merritt was found guilty of murdering a family of four, and now the jury is recommending the death penalty. Joseph McStay owned a custom fountain business and worked with Merritt. Homicide investigators search the family's home on Avocado Vista Lane and found no sign of a struggle. 'This despicable, evil monster. Crying for Mommy and Daddy? I remember one woman in particular was all over him for a while. Richard K. De Atley has been a journalist since 1975, for City News Service in Los Angeles, The Associated Press in Los Angeles and New York, and The Press-Enterprise in Riverside. Basically, she wouldnt let him near her. At that time, no one knew what happened to the family. [6] Joseph owned and operated Earth Inspired Products, a company that built decorative fountains, and Summer was a licensed real estate agent. 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