McSTAY FAMILY - Found Dead 4 Years After Vanishing

[HairOfTheDog]

I found the video link to Randi Kaye's CNN interview with DA Ramos last night.

http://www.cnn.com/video/standard.html?/...cebook.com

Ramos claims that LE has proof that one man could indeed kill the family of four, bury the bodies in the desert 100 miles north of the home where they were killed, and plant the families SUV 250 miles south at the San Ysidro border crossing.

He says SBPD recovered over 100 pieces of evidence at the grave site, which was 20 miles from Merritt's home.

Randi Kaye says Ramos confirmed to her that SBPD has special technology to detect if blood spatter has been thoroughly cleaned up (detect the chemicals, etc), even 4 years after the clean up.

There was a 15 day period available for a killer who had access to the home to clean up.

Ramos says that Merritt had been watched closely by authorities for the last year and was the prime suspect for at least 6 months -- Merritt couldn't keep his stories straight, they were all over the place.

An axe is a good guess, Duchess. I hadn't thought of that. An axe would have the potential to kill a person, especially a small child, with one blow (which is what Ramos said in the interview could have happened). I was thinking maybe a large hammer or a baseball bat.

[Midwest Spy]

My feeling would be a baseball bat.

I'm just trying to imagine how it went down, and what was happening at the time.

From what I understand, McStay operated the business side of things while Merritt was the one who built/made the products.

Was someone leaving the other? Was someone skimming from someone else or holding out?

Did he blindside McStay with a blow to the head then call up to Summer to come down? Most likely, IMO.

I can't believe he had days on end to clean up and stage the house.

As I said before, he thought he was absolutely home free.

How in the hell did the bodies become noticeable?

What a break.

[Cheyne]

A baseball bat, a hammer, a cast-iron frying pan, an axe or hatchet, a folding chair...the list of household items that could murder with one blow is endless (especially the kids).

I am curious how the bodies were exposed too, and agree with MS at such a lucky break for the McStay family and LE. If the bodies weren't found, the McStays would still be considered missing.

[Duchess]

I thought an axe because this is all so gruesome and an axe is the height of gruesome to me, although I obviously didn't think that through. How the hell do you sneak up on someone with an axe.

[HairOfTheDog]

It could be an axe, Duchess.

We don't know if the killer snuck up on the McStays and killed them by surprise (I hope they didn't see it coming though).

When the bodies were discovered, local media cited Sherrif's officials as saying at least one of them was bound with electrical cord. Later, People Mag reported that the adult remains were both bound (no source cited).

So, it's possible that the McStays were subdued for some amount of time before they were bludgeoned to death.

[Duchess]

Jesus God. I can hardly imagine the horror of seeing someone you love killed or really anyone for that matter.

[HairOfTheDog]

My feeling would be a baseball bat.

I'm just trying to imagine how it went down, and what was happening at the time.

I can't believe he had days on end to clean up and stage the house.

How in the hell did the bodies become noticeable?

What a break.

I'm really curious about how it all went down, and the motive as well.

The evidence found at the grave site might have given investigators clues as to how it went down. Were they all bound with electric cord? Both parents? Just Joseph?

Joseph McStay's father, Patrick, thinks the motive was money and that there might be others involved.

The San Bernadino Dist. Atty, Ramos, wouldn't comment on motive last week in a radio interview, but he advised listeners to keep in mind that Joseph McStay and Chase Merritt were business associates and go from there. He claims LE believes Merritt acted alone.

I think money was a factor if Merritt's the guy -- he's been stealing and conning his whole life. But based on the brutality of the murders, there was also a personal element like sense of betrayal, jealousy, revenge IMO ... I don't think there were others involved, but I'm not closed to the possibility of more arrests.

The graves were shallow ones. They were not far from the desert freeway, but in an area that no one would have a reason to be. Lucky that some dirt bike riders decided to ignore the rules and wound up there to come across a skull. Some people believe maybe Merritt told somebody where he buried the bodies and that person told police (and has been given immunity); that the biker story is a cover. It's possible.

[HairOfTheDog]

We won't learn much more from LE until next year, unless the press succeeds in getting the arrest warrant unsealed. The preliminary hearings were pushed back yesterday.

Snip:
He (Merritt) has pleaded not guilty, and is being held in West Valley Detention Center without bail. The next hearing date in his case is set for Jan. 30 at the San Bernardino Justice Center.

Merritt, a gifted welder, crafted interior water fountains for McStay’s business, Earth Inspired Products.



After a brief hearing in the case Thursday — which would have been Joseph McStay’s 45^th birthday — Merritt’s attorney told the Victorville-based Daily Press that jail doctors are treating Merritt for congestive heart failure after it was diagnosed last week.

The attorney told the newspaper that Merritt had been taking medicine for some time but, “I imagine the experience has exacerbated any condition he’s had before,” Robert Ponce said. “He wants to resolve this case by trial as soon as possible.”

Story: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/nov/...ctorville/

[Blindgreed1]

It would be difficult to plan a foolproof surprise attack on 4 people with a blunt instrument. Every human, regardless of age has some degree of fight or flight in them. This had to be someone close to the family who knew their routines inside and out.

[HairOfTheDog]

SAN DIEGO PD Search Warrants Released

Most of what is contained in them is already well known to the public in regards to the McStay home when they were first reported missing -- the dogs were out back, there were raw eggs on the kitchen counter, there were two bowls of popcorn on the futon, there were clothes strewn about, etc...

The warrants also indicate that there was a tall lamp lying on the floor and there were open suitcases with folded clothes in the master bedroom closet.

In a search warrant dated February 19, 2010, Detective Troy DuGal of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, wrote, "...It is my opinion the McStay family is the victim of foul play." "...I believe that some or all of the McStay family has been kidnapped and killed," he added.

But despite that initial belief detailed by DuGal, investigators apparently reached the conclusion that the family likely fled voluntarily to Mexico and the disappearance was investigated as a missing-persons case for more than three years.

The early warrants don't include anything about suspects. But, media organizations are also seeking access to search warrants filed later in the investigation, when it was in the hands of San Bernardino County. Those are likely be more enlightening. A hearing on that matter is scheduled for next week.

Chase Merritt is also scheduled in court for a hearing next Friday, 1/30.

Ref: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/search-warra...rder-case/

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, it was definitely an interesting day in court yesterday.


Chase Merritt informed the judge that he plans on representing himself; he has dismissed his attorney Robert Ponce.

Supposedly, Merritt's decision is due to the fact that he wants the case to move to trial as soon as possible so he can clear his name before he dies; Merritt reportedly believes he has only 6 - 8 months to live.

The judge subsequently allowed it, but said the matter was pending review until Merritt produced a note from the jail doctor saying he was fit to do so. If he's deemed fit, he'll be assigned a consulting attorney.

Merritt is a conman and a thief who was writing a book about the missing McStay family when he was arrested. I don't believe anything he says without it being substantiated, but I do hope the case moves to trial quickly.

Yesterday the judge also ruled against the media request to have the San Bernadino PD search warrants released to the public because she believes doing so would jeopardize Merritt's right to a fair trial. I understand her decision, but really wanted to see those warrants.

Story: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mcstay-murde...sent-self/

[HairOfTheDog]

PRELIMINARY HEARING / EVIDENCE PRESENTATION -- TUESDAY, 5/19/15

For six months, homicide investigators have been mum about just why they suspect a business associate killed a Fallbrook man, his wife and their young children. Next week, some of the evidence in the deaths of the McStay family finally will be revealed.

The accused killer, Charles “Chase” Merritt, who is representing himself in the case, told San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Michael Smith on Friday that he is ready for his preliminary hearing to start Tuesday as scheduled.

The hearing — a mini-trial of sorts — will mark the first public airing of any evidence in the case, which for years baffled investigators and garnered national media attention.

At the end of the hearing, Smith will decide if there is enough evidence to order Merritt, 58, to face trial on four counts of murder in the deaths of Joseph McStay, 40, wife Summer, 43, and sons Gianni, 4, and Joey Jr., 3.

Full story: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/may/...ry-may-15/
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I'm really anxious to hear the evidence against Merritt.

[HairOfTheDog]

Evidence Revelations Reset for Friday, 5/22

SAN BERNARDINO — A preliminary hearing that was set to begin today for a man accused of murdering a Fallbrook family has been pushed back to Friday at the request of both sides.

San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office asked to postpone the hearing because the prosecutor is sick. Defendant Charles “Chase” Merritt -- who has been representing himself in the case -- also sought more time because he is in talks to hire an attorney. (HOTD: Good change of plans on Merritt's part; he really shouldn't attempt to defend himself.)

The long-awaited hearing will be the first chance to hear the evidence that prosecutor say links Merritt to the deaths of Joseph McStay, 40, his wife Summer, 43, and their two young boys.

Friends and relatives of both the McStay and Merritt families had driven to the San Bernardino courthouse from throughout Southern California and were in the courtroom this morning for the intended start of the preliminary hearing.

At the end of the hearing, Smith will decide if there is enough evidence to order Merritt, 58, to face trial on four counts of murder in the deaths of the McStays.

Merritt has been at least tangentially linked to the case from the start. He was the last person known to have seen Joseph McStay alive, and the first to sound the alarm that the family was missing.

But the evidence investigators say implicates him in the deaths has been under wraps — until the preliminary hearing testimony.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/may/...ing-day-1/

[HairOfTheDog]

A preliminary hearing was held today.



Chase Merritt is no longer representing himself; he now has a team of four defense attorneys.

EVIDENCE COLLECTED AT GRAVE SITE: It was revealed that Josheph McStay's remains were found wrapped in a white woven blanket. He had a hole on the left side of his head, and he had white extension cord tied around his neck. Summer McStay's clothes and some blue children's pants and a diaper were also found at the desert grave site.

MURDER WEAPON? A sledgehammer was recovered from the grave site too. Joseph, Summer, and Gianni McStay were killed by multiple blows to the head. Police appear to believe the sledgehammer is the murder weapon. (3-year-old Joey Jr's remains were too scant to determine a cause of death.)

POSSIBLE MOTIVE / CRIME SCENE COVER-UP: One of Merritt's lawyer's started lodging his defense in the press today. He contends that LE has no evidence to support what he believes will be the prosecutor's theory, namely that Joseph found out Merritt was writing checks to himself and stealing from the company, so he killed the family in their home with a sledgehammer and then painted the walls to cover signs of the crime.

The attorney said that there was paint found on the buried sledgehammer, but it doesn't match the paint from the house. He also indicated that there was no evidence tying his client to the crimes.

I wonder if the sledgehammer and extension cord belonged to Chase Merritt or the McStays? I'm also curious to hear more about Chase Merritt's phone records and cell ping locations around the time of the crime and the cover up.

Refs:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me...story.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...esert.html

[HairOfTheDog]

MORE INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE

I'm reading some of the tweets from reporters in the courtroom.

-It was revealed at the hearing that LE found Chase Merritt's DNA on the steering wheel of the Isuzu which was parked at the border.

-An FBI analyst also indicated that Merritt's cell phone pinged near the grave site on February 6^th 2010.

- Merritt was added as a vendor to McStay's QuickBooks account in the days before the murders; that means checks could automatically be generated to him. He cashed a check that was processed remotely (not from Joseph's computer).

- Evidence indicated that the McStays suffered multiple broken bones and other injuries. A large hole in the back of Joseph McStay’s skull was consistent with that of an injury caused by a sledgehammer, and he appeared to have been struck at least four times in the head and also suffered a broken leg and broken ribs.

-The skeletal remains of Summer McStay indicated she had multiple jaw fractures, and other broken bones, and 4-year-old son Gianni suffered at least seven blows to the head, Bachman said.

-Detective Troy Dugal testified that the woven blanket that Joseph McStay Sr. was wrapped in matched that of a missing cushion cover from a Futon at the McStay home.

-Sheriff’s Detective Jose Armando Avila testified he was working the homicide detail when the remains of the McStay family were discovered in 2013. “They appeared to have been there for some time and were eroded,” Avila said of the tire tracks.

-San Bernardino County sheriff’s Detective Joseph Streers testified that a white shop towel and a bath towel with an imprinted cat face, also found in the graves with the McStay’s skeletal remains, matched that of towels from the McStay home. The white shop towel matched that of similar towels found in the garage, and the bath towel matched that of one that one of the McStay children was seen wrapped in in a photograph, Steers said.

-Prosecutors believe Merritt acted alone, killing the family in their home and burying their bodies in two shallow graves in the Mojave Desert on the outskirts of Victorville, west of the 15 Freeway and north of Stoddard Wells Road.

(HOTD edit: added new evidence points: http://www.sgvtribune.com/general-news/2...e-slayings )

[HairOfTheDog]

The judge ruled that there is probable cause for the state to move forward with bringing Chase Merritt to trial for the murder of the McStay family.

Whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty has not been revealed.

[HairOfTheDog]

UPDATE:

Chase Merritt is no longer representing himself.

However, his attorneys and the judge assigned to the murder trial are all tied up with the large San Bernadino Colonies corruption trial. The corruption trial is expected to run through May or June of this year.

So, looks like Merritt won't face a jury for the McStay murders until after summer 2017, at the earliest (which would be more than 7 years after they went missing and almost 4 years after their remains were found).

Ref: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news...story.html

[HairOfTheDog]

Murder Trial Begins


Nine years after the McStay family ^ was reported missing from their home in Fallbrook, CA........six years after the four bodies were discovered in shallow graves in the California desert............and five years after the suspect was arrested, Joseph McStay's business partner Chase Merritt is finally on trial for murder.

There isn't a single doubt in my mind that Merritt is guilty.  But, the jurors will have to weigh the circumstantial and physical evidence presented by the prosecutors against the 'some of other dude(s) did it' claim that Merritt's defense attorneys will undoubtedly present.

(continued)

[HairOfTheDog]

Merritt ^ was in major gambling and tax debt.  He was reportedly on the verge of being fired by McStay.  He had access to the house.  His DNA was recovered from the steering wheel of the McStay's vehicle which was planted at the US/Mexico border.  His cell phone pinged near the grave sites shortly after they were last seen alive.  His computer accessed McStay's QuickBooks accounting/financial accounts after the family went missing. His alibi is weak.  And, he has a criminal record. 

I hope the jury finds him guilty and he dies in prison.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...rtner.html

[BigMark]

the bodies where found pretty close to here, it was a horrible tragedy.