Then, he slammed the podium loudly with his hands.Come on, Chase! She really didnt like anyone being around Joseph and the family other than herself and a very small, selective group of people. "[25], On November 5, 2014, detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department arrested Merritt in connection with the deaths of the McStay family after discovering that his DNA had been recovered from their car. Every time you hear a sound in prison or in a movie similar to the sounds you made that day when you murdered this family, I hope it rings loud in your ears. So unnatural," he said. Merritt later told police that he ignored the voicemail because he was watching a movie. It cant be, Susan Blake testified after she regained herself. During the last stretch of Friday's marathon day in court, only one person was able to deliver a victim impact statement: Patrick McStay, Joseph McStay's father. Upon his arrival, he noticed that Joseph's 1996 Isuzu Trooper was missing, but their dogs were in the backyard. Charles "Chase" Merritt, 62, was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of his former business associate, Joseph McStay, 40. I have been in complete denial about having schizophrenia for the last few years. Joseph McStay - the father of the family of four found dead in the California desert after vanishing nearly four years ago - had suspicions his wife was POISONING him in the days before their . 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. After frustrating delays in proceedings in a Southern California courtroom last week, an emotional sentencing hearing resumed Tuesday for the man convicted in the mysterious killings of the McStay family, including two boys, ages 3 and 4. #nbc7 https://t.co/muZXjqJBFT. By He called Merritt a "ruthless mass murderer.". "It is my deepest desire in my own life not to spread pain and suffering," said a. We're just the clowns," Imes said. She also touched on the media attention and pressures her family has coped with for years, including questions from strangers. Do you remember writing that check? he asked. [4], On June 10, 2019, a San Bernardino County jury found Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Summer's sister stated that her passport was expired. [3] The trial began on January 7, 2019, in San Bernardino. 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. Charles "Chase" Merritt, who was convicted of murdering the McStay family of four of Fallbrook, speaks to the judge before his sentencing at San Bernardino Superior Court in San Bernardino on. Two days later, two sets of remains were officially identified as those of Joseph and Summer McStay. Mystery: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, Tragedy: Joseph'sparents, Patrick McStay and Susan Blake, have opened up about the murders on the second season of the Oxygen true-crime series Killer Motive. The case has sparked endless speculation, with both the police and amateur sleuths coming up with countless theories, some plausible, some wild and outrageous. On Feb. 15, the family was reported missing to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. Sheriffs officials announced that the remains of the four people found buried in the desert belong to the McStay family, a Fallbrook family missing since 2010. Charles "Chase" Merritt was convicted in June of killing his former business associate Joseph McStay, McStay's wife, Summer, and their 4- and 3-year-old sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr.. Businessman Joseph McStay, his wife, Summer, and their two young sons -- Gianni 4, Joseph Jr. 3 -- were last heard from Feb. 4. 14:31 EST 05 Jan 2014. Our lives were intertwined both on a business and a personal level. He just gave me the quote of the day on the continuing delays. The shocking claims will stun everyone who has followed the McStay family disappearance since they first went missing back on February 4, 2010. After 8-Hour Day in Court, Sentencing Delayed for Man Who Killed McStay Family. Arent you tired, man? he asked. I believe that [Joseph] trusted Chase and believed in Chase. June 10, 2019 Merritt is found guilty of murdering the McStay family. Prosecutors told jurors Merritt killed the family after learning McStay was cutting him out of his business making and selling custom water fountains. The McStays, their two boys Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, vanished in 2010, leaving food on the table and a massive mystery. 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. But what happened to Joseph McStay, 40, his 43-year-old wife, Summer, and sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3? Merritt's attorneys said the two men were best friends and investigators overlooked another possible suspect in the killings. 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. 'We went all the way down to Cabo because at first they said there were sightings, and then we just took the car and went north. 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!' All rights reserved. The parents of a man who disappeared with his wife and two young children have detailed how they searched for the family for years before it was discovered that their son's business partner brutally murdered them with a sledgehammer. Video recorded the evening of February 8, released on March 5, showed a family of four resembling the McStays crossing the border. 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. Merritt is charged with killing his business associate Joseph McStay; McStay's wife, Summer; and their 3- and 4-year-old sons. Kavanaugh has denied any involvement in the familys disappearance and slayings. 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. Joseph's cellphone pinged a tower in Fallbrook. Despite all the problems they had and how explosive Summer was, I dont know if he ever truly believed she was capable of that, but it was definitely something he considered. Working through prosecutor Rodriguezs objections, Maline asked Blake, Do remember if it bounced?. The two children were very young a three-year-old and a four-year-old. Im heading to San Bernardino and will keep you updated. Sorry because he was worth it, he told Imes. If I want to speak with him, I have to go to a gravesite," Michael McStay added. How can you take that all in?, Susan Blake, right, mother of Joseph McStay, reaches over and holds the hand of her other son Michael McStay, left, at a press conference at the San Bernardino Sheriff Headquarters, Friday, November 15, 2013. Watch live on social media with @fox5sandiego pic.twitter.com/jm1tgT66R2, Jeff McAdam (@JeffMcAdamTV) January 21, 2020, The victims family members, meanwhile, dismissed Merritt as, in the words of McStays mother, Susan Blake, a despicable, evil monster.. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Prosecutors are seeking the death. Sheriffs investigators believeSummer McStay may have been rapedbefore she was killed. The case initially puzzled. Summer had also ordered a Spanish-language education program a few months prior to their disappearance. Joseph's father, Patrick McStay, told the Los Angeles Times in 2011. 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. The clip appeared to show a family of four crossing the border into Mexico -- a family that looked like they could have been the McStays. 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. 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. We are scarred for life., Its been almost 10 years and the pain hasnt subsided, she added. It is my deepest desire in my own life not to spread pain and suffering, said a soft-spoken Jonah McStay. His son, Joseph, his daughter-in-law, Summer, and their two little boys - Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3 . Merritt was supposed to be sentenced last Friday, Jan. 17, but dramatic twists, turns, and delays prevented that from happening as planned. I just dropped me to my knees I will never go back to that spot, she told San Bernardino County Deputy District AttorneyMelissa Rodriguez. Merritt was arrested the following year. When their remains were unearthed, investigators also found a rusty sledgehammer that they said was used to kill the family. Joseph McStay, 40, and his wife, Summer, 43, went missing along with their two children, Gianna, 4, and Joseph, 3. Joseph was his older brother, by three years, two months, three days, he toldSan Bernardino County Supervising Deputy District Attorney Britt Imes. Voice shaking, it was Merrit's turn to speak to the courtroom and to the McStay family's loved ones. Chase, you are a low-life coward and a baby killer. Chase, you are a low-life coward and a baby killer. It was a mystery and he started to consider everything and anything. Were they scared, Chase? Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, vanished from their home inFallbrook, California, on February 4, 2010. Three years later, the remains of the family were discovered in a shallow grave in a remote desert in Southern California. ___ 12 a.m. The surviving McStay family members held an emotional memorial for. He maintained his innocence, saying something has always been "amiss" in this case. She said the two tangled over how to keep the business afloat. They make up a small part of Merritts new book, which is due to be released later this year. We dont run this circus. I honestly believed my psychiatrist . [13] Dean stated in her blog she had just finished producing a radio show for San Diego station KNSJ when she received the call, and that she asked whether she could tell her followers what he had told her. 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. [27], Prosecutors allege that Merritt had a gambling problem and killed the McStay family for financial gain. On February 23, 2010, detectives notified Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, to be on the lookout for the family heading to Mexico. 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. I just dont remember very much because I fell to the office floor. Defense attorney Rajan Maline produced a check to Merritt for $3,300 that was issued in April 2010 and signed by Blake, not on her personnel account, but on an account for Earthinspiredproducts.com. Chase, you are a low-life baby killer, Blake said as Merritt stared at her impassively. It would take years for investigators to discover the family's grisly fate. Obviously that was a real problem for Joseph and he used to talk to me about it regularly. After three years of suspicion, the family's bones were discovered in a desert over a hundred miles from their house. 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. Trademark and Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. De Atley is a Cal State Long Beach graduate with a double major in journalism and political science. [7] Summer was born Virginia Lisa Aranda, and had also been known as Summer Martelli. 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. 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. January 21, 2020 Merritt, 62, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Joseph McStay, 40. He was visibly shaken, fighting back tears. Patrick said, "I truly believe she loved my son. Princess Diana's nieces Lady Eliza and Amelia share Do not sell or share my personal information. 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. During that period, she got an early-morning call from someone in Saudi Arabia, demanding his fountain, she recalled. You just do what you can for your son, and your family, she said. "corrupt" . I just spoke to the prosecuting attorney in the Merritt case. "Hes an excellent surfer and soccer player. [2], On November 7, 2014, police announced they had arrested Charles "Chase" Merritt, Joseph McStay's business partner, and intended to charge him with the murders. Sentencing still has not happened. His arrest was announced on November 7, 2014. 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. They were in the process of remodeling their four-bedroom, three-bathroom home when they went missing. Day by day, month by month, the case grew colder. Will Payne #mcstay #nbc7 https://t.co/nZp6QeV6sQ, I dont know that I can ever explain the impact this man has had on my family, she said. Investigators testified they believed the victims were tortured before they were killed. 'I'm gonna get out the information and try to find them.'. He was given the death penalty for killing Summer, Gianni, and Joseph Jr. Now, Merritt is on San Quentin Death Row. Indiana Man Charged After Son In Diapers Points Gun At . On February 19, California police notified Interpol to be on the lookout for the family. The details are shocking and nauseating to sit through.". I did not know any of that part, Blake said. For years, police speculated they went to Mexica, but the McStays bodies were later found buried in the Mojave Desert in November 2013. she said. Smith ordered Merritt transferred to San Quentin State Prison until an execution date is scheduled. He was sentenced to death on January 21, 2020. Indian lodge motel in joseph oregon. 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.. Sheriffs officials announced that the remains of the four people found buried in the desert belong to the McStay family, a Fallbrook family missing since 2010. His face was stoic. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, PrettyLittleThing - Offers on women's clothing, Get inspired by the newest styles and offers, Click through for ASOS promo codes this Autumn, Spend less with Missguided's exclusive codes, Treat yourself to offers on make-up and accessories, Check out the latest Wayfair sale to save on furniture. Then a few people started putting the idea in his head that maybe Summer was behind it. NBC 7 was once again inside the courtroom Tuesday. Dont worry, your fate will be way less tragic than of the family you murdered.. [6] Joseph owned and operated Earth Inspired Products, a company that built decorative fountains, and Summer was a licensed real estate agent. Prosecutors say he bludgeoned them with a sledgehammer. 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. NBC 7's Jackie Crea has more. As recently as April, the FBI believed the family went to Mexico voluntarily.
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