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. Merritt is documented as writing checks totaling $21,000 on McStays business account, after McStay went missing. At their home in Fallbrook, California, investigators found no signs of forced entrance or violence. Even more troubling, a QuickBooks customer service representative told investigators he remembered an unsettling call from a man claiming to be Joseph McStay who wanted to completely delete his account and all information on the account, but Hanke said the phone used to call the customer service line had belonged to Merritt, not Joseph. The deaths have been ruled a homicide. The video, NBCSandiego reportedin 2010, is dated around 7 p.m. Feb. 8. Investigators also discovered that the same car had been towed on February 8 for a parking violation near the Mexican border. KGTV/ABC News -- A business associate of a California family that mysteriously disappeared more than four years has been charged in the four murders - including two young boys, police said today. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. ', A decade after the family went missing, their killer was sentenced to death in January 202. The comments below have not been moderated. However, Michael was sure it wasnt his relatives, adding, Summer would never take the boys to Mexico. With no leads, the case went cold until nearly four years later, when the familys remains were found 100 miles away in the Mojave Desert after an off-road motorcyclist discovered human bones. As it turned out, someone from animal control had stopped by and fed the dogs, so Summer and Joseph had not arranged for someone to feed them. It gives us courage to know that theyre together and theyre in a better place, said Mike McStay, who attended the conference. WebInvestigators from the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department soon uncovered the bodies of all four McStay family membersincluding Joseph, Summer, 4-year-old Gianni and 3-year Summers prescription sunglasses are in the house as well, according to Killer Motive. Relatives are certain the family wouldnt go away without telling anyone. This allows you to focus on the securities you are interested in, so you can make informed decisions. Merritt told detectives that during their last lunch meeting, Joseph had given him physical copies of checks to pay for some of the projects they were working on. stating that charles merritt has been executed is reprehensible. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. by all accounts aloving family with no enemies,baffled investigators. [30] On May 4, the case was scheduled to go to trial in July 2018. February 23, 2010 Had the family gone off the grid? According to the San Bernardino Sun, prosecutors alleged Merritt was a gambling addict who committed the crime for financial gain and wrote thousands of dollars in checks on Josephs business account for days after he disappeared. The video, The FBI will lend their resources in Mexico, where San Diego Sheriff's investigators are focusing their search,. The house was as if somebody just beamed them up to the Starship Enterprise, reporter Tony Shin, who covered the case for KNSD-TV, recalls in the latestepisode of CNBC's American Greed, airing Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Morbid Tourism does not recommend visiting the area after dark, as it can be dangerous at times. Detectives testified during Merrittspreliminary hearingin June 2015 that Merritt was a gambling man who had written multiple checks totaling more than $21,000 on Joseph McStays QuickBooks account in the weeks after the McStay family was last seen on Feb. 4, 2010. 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. In July 2015, Merritt's defense attorney filed a request to have the case dismissed because of the wording used by the prosecution when the charges were filed. Um, no, Charles Merritt has NOT been put to death. [1][2] Their disappearance was widely reported by the national news media. It showed a family that appeared to look like the McStays, crossing into Mexico. With no leads, the case went cold until nearly four years later, when the familys remains were found 100 miles away in the Mojave Desert after an off-road motorcyclist discovered human bones. "[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. Get up to speed on the investigation with the timeline below. Merritt, who faces the death penalty if convicted, has pleaded not guilty to the crimes. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Just a monster. His last known call was with Charles Chase Merritt, a business associate. Sheriffs investigators believe Merritt, a business associate of Joseph McStay who built custom decorative water fountains for McStays online business, killed the McStays for financial gain. Your article on Chase Merritt was perfect- just last paragraph was incorrect . [9] In the surveillance recording, the vehicle's occupants could not be seen. minneapolis crime statistics by race / blackpink members height in feet and weight / blackpink members height in feet and weight Sheriffs investigators arrested Charles Chase Merritt, 60, of Homeland, in November 2014. [20] Although it is possible for a U.S. citizen to enter Mexico without a passport, one is required to reenter the United States. There was no evidence to determine where the family went or why they had left. Winter 2009 Joseph McStay, 40, an entrepreneur who sold indoor water fountains, and his wife,Summer McStay, 43, and their sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr., move to Fallbrook, California, a community known as The Friendly Village.. [2][12], On November 11, 2013, a dirt biker found four sets of human remains buried in two shallow graves in the desert near Victorville, California. Two days later, two sets of remains were officially identified as those of Joseph and Summer McStay. [15] Baker began following the case in 2013 after interviewing Michael McStay on his program. [16], After their disappearance, it was speculated that the McStays left voluntarily since investigators found searches on the family's computers for "What documents do children need for traveling to Mexico?" The McStay Family Memorial is located in a very rural desert area directly north of the I-15 Stoddart Wells/Quary Rd exit. Defense attorney Rajan Maline has continued to proclaimhis clients innocence, arguing there's no physical evidence linking Merritt to themurder scene. [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. Investigators believed that the family was willingly walking across the border, with no indication that they were in any distress. [4], On June 10, 2019, a San Bernardino County jury found Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family. Inside The Gruesome McStay Family Murder Case. [33] The court upheld the jury's recommendation, and Merritt was sentenced to death on January 21, 2020. The caller lacked the necessary passcodeto delete the account and the customer service representative was unable to carry out his requestleaving the damaging information for investigators to discover later. Prosecutors believed that Charles Merritt had a gambling problem and killed the McStay family for financial gain. Merritt is documented as writing checks totaling $21,000 on McStays business account, after McStay went missing. Charles Merritt used that money for his gambling addiction at nearby casinos. When Charles Merritt had an interview with the Daily Mail, he stated how Joseph McStay was my best friend. There was a couple bowls of I believe popcorn that it looked like the boys were eating, possibly watching TV. The family was from Fallbrook, a quiet bedroom community in San Diego County. The bodies were identified asJoseph, Summer, Joseph Mateo, and Gianani McStay.. A sledgehammer was also found buried at the site. [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. In this Nov. 7, 2014, photo, Michael McStay is consoled by San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon as he reacts before talking to the media about his late brother's family at a news conference. Princess's dance partner Wayne Sleep reveals she would do his washing-up Do not sell or share my personal information. Dan Hanke tells American Greed that when investigators examined Josephs QuickBooks account they did, in fact, discover a series of checks made out to Merritt or other vendors that Merrittowed money to that were dated Feb. 4, but the metadata stored within the computer revealed that the checks had not actually been written that day. According to detectives, Josephs body was found with a white extension cord wrapped around his neck. 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. The remains were identified as the McStay familys and were buried in two shallow graves. On Thursday, February 4, the last day that the McStay family was heard from, Joseph attended regular work meetings. Summers skull was fractured and one of their sons heads was bludgeoned seven times, according to court testimony. Charles Chase Merritt, 62, was convicted in June of killing his former business associate Joseph McStay, 40, McStays wife, Summer, 43, and their two children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3. I loved Joseph, he said. There was no apparent suspicious activity on the couples credit card accounts. Published: 23:50 GMT, 22 January 2021 | Updated: 23:58 GMT, 22 January 2021, 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.. 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. On February 15, eleven days after the family was last heard from, the police searched the McStay family home. In 2014, he completed a fellowship at Loyola Law School's Journalist Law School program. Lets make no mistake about it, Mr. Merritt is innocent, Maline tells American Greed.. We just had to go over all kinds of money stuff, Merritt told detectives in an interview recording obtained by American Greed.. amily members report the McStays missing to the San Diego County sheriff's department. Autor de la entrada: Publicacin de la entrada: junio 16, 2022 Categora de la entrada: jobs hiring 16 year olds with no experience Comentarios You can also watch "The McStay Family Mystery" on Oxygen's "Killer Motive.". Tragically, that's exactly what happened whenJoseph and Summer McStay and their two young sons vanished from their home in northern San Diego in early 2010. The original memorial consisting of 4 white crosses. The sledge hammer is the likely murder weapon. The driver for all Investors is the continuous search for investment opportunities. Chase Merritt /edit ideo released by deputies shows images of a group of people who might be the McStays walking together into Mexico through a border gate. Patrick McStay says the murder of a family of four was "all about money" By Elaine Aradillas. The former welder was sentenced to death for the murders of Summer, Gianni and Joseph Jr. and life without parole for the murder of Joseph. Many conspiracies believed that they wanted to disappear, and that they have crossed the Mexican border, the familys SUV having been found stranded near the border. Everything to Know About the Murdaugh Family Murders, Including Details of Allegations Against Alex, The McStay Mystery: A Family's Tragic End, Man Killed Business Associate, Wife and Kids Before Burying Their Remains in Calif. Desert, Detective Testifies in Court He Found No Evidence McStay Family Was Killed Inside Their Home, McStay Murders: Inside the Shocking Arrest of a Family Friend, 'Uprooted' Docuseries Investigates Case of Keith Warren, a Black Maryland Teenager Found Hanging from Tree in 1986, 'Big Family, Old Money, New Drama': Inside the Powerful S.C. Family at Center of Murder Mystery, Extension Cord & Sledgehammer Buried in the Desert: Gruesome Details Revealed About McStay Family Murders. ', Gruesome: The McStays' skeletal remains were unearthed along with a three-pound rusted sledgehammer believed to be the murder weapon, Crime: Charles 'Chase' Merritt, who was a partner in Joseph's water-fountain business, was arrested for the murders in 2014 and found guilty in 2019 (pictured), Criminal: In January 2020, Merritt was sentenced to death for bludgeoning the couple and their children to death inside their home because he owed them $30,000. It was unclear. 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. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The entire case left investigators and loved ones completely puzzled. On February 13, when the family hadnt been heard from in nine days, Josephs brother went to the house. DNA matching Merritt, who owed Joseph McStay more than $42,000, was found on the steering wheel and gear shift of the McStay vehicle abandoned near the Mexico border. While no one has the answer, there are many leads, provided by people like Josephs father, Patrick McStay, who has complained for years that the San Diego Sheriffs Department was not treating the case seriously, and Rick Baker, who traveled the world researching his book, No Goodbyes: The Mysterious Disappearance of the McStay Family. 'Some rough places, but you have had somebody stab me, it doesn't matter,' she noted. We develop trading and investment tools such as stock charts for Private Investors. The defense now moves to exclude certain expected testimony and evidence from the prosecutions case in chief on the grounds that this evidence is not relevant, and that the onlypurposes of the expected evidence are to sensationalize the alleged crimes and inflame the passions of the jury against Mr. Merritt, according to the Nov. 20 motion. Who would brutally murder the entire McStay family? Published on November 9, 2014 01:05 PM. uncovered the bodies of all four McStay family members, he was arrested by the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Office. Whether youre interested in researching and testing your ideas, saving and recalling your favourite analysis or accessing tools and strategies from leading Industry Educators, Beyond Charts+ is modern, powerful and easy to use charting software for private investors. 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. Chase, you are a low-life coward and a baby killer. Though simply changing her name is not an indication of anything sinister, it did stir up a number of theories that Summer was responsible for the disappearance. A motion filed in San Bernardino Superior Court on Nov. 20 on behalf of McStay family murder suspect Charles Chase Merritt by his attorney, James McGee, argued against the use of family photos and/or videos of the McStay family at trial, stating it could engender sympathy from the jury for the victims and prejudice the jury against Merritt. Joseph owned a company that sold water foundations, he informed Charles Merritt that he owed him more than $42,000. Despite all the cellphone records and banking records of Merritt being tied to the murders of the family, he maintained his innocence throughout the trial. PEOPLE Explains: How the McStay Family Disappeared Into the Desert but Who Killed Them? Timeline of Gabby Petito Tragedy 1 Year After Killer Brian Laundrie's Body Was Found, Calif. Man Gets Death Penalty for Killing Business Partner, Victim's Wife, Kids Before Burying Bodies, Murder, Greed and the Mojave Desert: The Mystery Behind the McStay Family Murder. [2][11], During their investigation, the police learned that around 11:00 pm on February 8, the family's Trooper had been towed from a strip mall parking lot in San Ysidro, San Diego, near the Mexican border. California currently has a moratorium on executions. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. 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