The skeletal remains . On the same day as they are broadcast, episodes will be available on discovery+. On November 5, 2014, Chase Merritt, a business associate of McStay was arrested and charged with four counts of murder, after his DNA was discovered inside the McStay vehicle. Another two points would put us in good . Syd Field Four Screenplays Pdf 11 !!HOT!! Both are convinced of Merritts guilt, but even they shake their heads and raise eyebrows at some of the other unexpected threads to the case. Everything was circumstantial. Investigation Discovery's 'Two Shallow Graves' follows the trial of Charles "Chase" Merritt, accused of murdering Joseph McStay and his family. Who Killed The McStay Family? The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. Merritts trial finally began on January 7, 2019 and on June 10, 2019, a San Bernardino County jury found Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! As the investigation continued, it also emerged that the last call from Mr McStays phone had been to Merritt whose cell phone pinged near a tower in the desert in the vicinity of the shallow graves. Investigators searched for passport records of the family, and discovered that Joseph had a valid passport that had not been used before or after the disappearance. And they should be. The details of Walker's death are equally lurid and disturbing. The remains were identified as the McStay familys and were buried in two shallow graves. In addition, neither of the children had passports. What Happened to the McStays, Who Vanished 3 Years Before They Were Found Buried in the Desert? The McStay family of Fallbrook were last heard from or seen on Feb. 4, 2010. The entire case left investigators and loved ones completely puzzled. A 3-pound sledgehammer was found with the bodies, which was believed to be the murder weapon. 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. But that changed when the remains of the McStay family were found in November 2013, [] How To Paint Citadel Miniatures Download Pdf NEW! My fear is that Im looking for two adult shallow graves and my two nephews crosses, Josephs kid brother, Michael, told the Orange County Register a few weeks after the Feb. 4, 2010, disappearance. Merritt, in the series, contends: They didnt have any direct evidence to support that I did these crimes. The skeletal remains of Joseph McStay were found with a cutoff extension cord wrapped around the neck, and the rest of the body wrapped in a white towel, all of it secured by a tie-down strap. While there was little evidence and various theories floated around, nobody really precisely knew what happened to Joseph, his wife, and their two sons until years later. Kevin McStay (Mayo): "There's a lot of teams that will beat each other before this League is over. Merritt's girlfriend gives him an alibi, but the prosecution attempts to discredit her . Everything to Know About the Murdaugh Family Murders, Including Alex's Conviction, 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. Smiley Public Library program will focus on womens dress during the Civil War, BLU Education Foundation helps Black, Latino students prepare for careers, Dine 909: New restaurants coming to San Bernardino, Upland and Redlands, Plow the roads, mountain residents say, as San Bernardino County vows to do better, Snow collapses roof of Goodwin and Sons, Crestlines only grocery store, 55-hour closures on 210 Freeway in Redlands and San Bernardino postponed again, Obernolte: Newsom must declare state of emergency for San Bernardino Mountains, San Bernardino mountain residents frustrated after volunteer helicopter efforts are restricted, We are coming, San Bernardino County officials tell trapped mountain residents, Conditions for snowed-in Crestline mobile home park pretty bleak, Shake Shack sets date for Victoria Gardens grand opening, Monday, March 13, 3 apparent gas explosions in San Bernardino mountain homes worry local residents, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Around about February 4, 2010, the McStay family, Joseph, 40; his wife, Summer, 43; and their two sons, Gianni, 4, and Joey Jr., 3, disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, Ca. Merritt had previously worked with Joseph McStay, who owned and ran the Earth Inspired Products decorative fountain company. In Fallbrook, CA, their home was fifty miles north of San Diego and twenty miles inland from the Pacific coast. There was finally some closure for the family, Imes says. SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - He wrote a book on the McStay case, but an investigative author is expressing shock over the tragic new twist in the case. McStay Memorial Erected In . They were living at Fallbrook and simply listed as missing. However, the rest of the family thought it was unusual for them to just leave so abruptly. 0. The accused was found guilty of the charges against him. There was a huge sigh of relief. In February 2010, the McStay family vanished without a trace, propelling the authorities to investigate. The original memorial consisting of 4 white crosses. Home; . On Nov. 20, at a vigil where volunteers erected white crosses and released doves, Michael pondered aloud the same questions. On Feb. 4, 2010, Joseph and Summer McStay, ages 40 and 43, and their two sons, Gianni, 4, and 3-year-old Joey Jr., vanished without a trace from their Fallbrook home. Jun 15, 2015 Merritt has said there is no direct evidence linking him to the crime scene.. Judge Michael A. Smith determined there Follow the links to read about more violent crimes profiled on ID. Joseph had a newly successful business designing and installing water fountains. Charles Merritt Gets Death Penalty McStay Family Murders PHOTO: Charles Ray Merritt was arrested on Nov.. 5, 2021 by the San.. Investigators also discovered that the same car had been towed on February 8 for a parking violation near the Mexican border. A motorcyclist found human remains in a desert near Victorville, California. Josephs brother found no sign of the family, so he left a note for the person feeding the dogs and asked them to call him, as he was concerned about his family. An attorney eventually represented Merritt, and the jury decided in favor of the victims. According to reports, denying his involvement in the murders, Merritt told the court. 16 Rare Photos of Princess Diana. Merritt constantly denied he had anything to do with the crime. The autopsy report details the pathologist's findings.. Merritt is charged with murdering the McStay family of four in February 2010 in San Diego County. Prosecutors said he bludgeoned the family to death with a sledgehammer. Merritt has said there is no direct evidence linking him to the crime scene. There was a couple bowls of I believe popcorn that it looked like the boys were eating, possibly watching TV. It was sort of one sort of absurdity after the other, Kevin Fitzpatrick, an executive producer of Two Shallow Graves, tells The Independent. From my discussions with him, thats all he does, is work on his case.. The man found a small human skull that appeared to belong to a child. The investigation into the disappearance of the McStay family in February 2010 and the subsequent disappearance of money from the company's bank account led investigators to believe Merritt was responsible. PEOPLE Explains: How the McStay Family Disappeared Into the Desert but Who Killed Them? The seven-episode Two Shallow Graves premieres Sunday on Investigation Discovery and will be available to stream on discovery+. Joseph and Summer McStay had two sons Gianni and Joseph Jr. Ive heard people say that before and it not be true. Merritt is accused of killing his former business associate, Joseph McStay, McStay's wife Summer, and their two small children on Feb. 4, 2010. Tribune Broadcasting. The family had been savagely beaten to death. Merritt not only had motive to carry out the grisly slayings, it seemed that he also had the opportunity. There is reportedly a DNA match that links Merritt to the McStay May 27, 2021 The McStay family murders occurred on or near February 4, 2010, after the family disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, Mcstay family autopsy photos Merritt is on trial for the murder of the McStay family from Fallbrook tried to cover his tracks after the murders. Two Shallow Graves delves into a case that garnered national news headlines, eventually culminating in the killer being brought to justice close to a decade later. When Joseph McStay, his wife Summer, and their two young sons disappeared from the familys Fallbrook, California home in February 2010, it was as if theyd simply vanished into thin air. McGee argued that the use of family photos and/or videos in the case should only be relevant if they are used for identifying victims, otherwise they are irrelevant. So without direct evidence, then they have to show enough circumstantial evidence to convice the jury that it was me at their home and who killed them.. About three days before the disappearance, Joseph emailed Chase regarding the money and was close to firing him. Joseph was 40-years-old back then, and Summer was 43. Merritt's DNA was found on the steering wheel and gearshift, even though Merritt told detectives he had never driven that vehicle. The motive was greed and the murders were brutal. Merritt insists on his innocence in the face of the prosecution's evidence, raising the question: Did Merritt murder the McStay family? The discovery of the McStay family's remains in November 2013 brought an end to more than three years of speculation regarding what happened to them. The San Diego Sheriffs Department even posted footage of a family that resembled the McStays walking across the border to Mexico. Huong Lee and Long Nyugen were an elderly Vietnamese couplefrom Arlington, Texas, who wound up owing so-called spiritual healer Dephne Wright nearly $300,000. Nov. 17, 2013 -- The 2010 disappearance of the McStay family, whose skeletal remains were discovered in shallow graves in the California desert last week, led a former North Carolina radio host to . When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Man Convicted Of Killing Couple, Their 2 Sons, 10 Years After Familys Skeletal Remains Found In Desert. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. They spoke with him for months in 15-minute phone calls allowed by the prison and both were taken aback by his knowledge of the case. Defense attorney Rajan Maline has continued to proclaimhis clients innocence, arguing there's no physical evidence linking Merritt to themurder scene. He started as a crime reporter and went on to cover a variety of beats including courts and the cities of Colton, Highland and Grand Terrace. The first three episodes of Two Shallow Graves will air on ID (Investigation Discovery) on Sunday, May 22, at 9:00 PM ET. McStay Murder Suspect Chase Merritt Has Heart Condition, Lawyer Says . Summer McStay may have been raped before she, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Summer McStay may have been raped before she was killed, buried in desert, court document says, Baby girl Winter of Lake Arrowhead is born amid raging blizzard, There are many ways to fight writers block, find inspiration, A.K. 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. The father of murder victim Joseph McStay and his family is upset with the way the San Diego County Sheriff's Department handled the case. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Initial investigation revealed that the family car was found at around 11 pm on February 8, 2010, in a parking lot close to the US-Mexico border in San Ysidro, California. Please be respectful of the memorial and do not leave any trash when you visit. Two Shallow Graves airs Sunday from 9/8c on Investigation Discovery. Charles 'Chase' Merritt is currently on death row in California after his 2019 conviction for the murders of Joseph and Summer McStay and their two young sons. Joe Nelson is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked for The Sun since November 1999. This week on Reasonable Doubt, the team takes on the Raul and Cathy Sarinana were sentenced to death for abusing Would love your thoughts, please comment. When family members were called in to help identify the people on the video, they had mixed reactions. But after the family's nanny arrived with the children in New York later estranged husband's property the day after mom went missing, report says. Investigators found four people who resembled the McStays walking across the border at approximately 7:00 p.m. on February 8, less than two hours after parking the car in the nearby parking lot. Police announced they had arrested Charles "Chase" Merritt, Joseph McStay's business partner, and intended to charge him with the murders. Photo: McStay Family/ZUMA. The 62-year-old welder convicted in the brutal beating deaths of a Fallbrook family of four . In the end, Merritt was represented by a defense attorney . The family had moved into the house three months earlier, and was in the process of unpacking and doing renovations. Just a monster.". Your login session has expired. These bodies were soon confirmed as the McStay family. In April 2013, the San Diego Sheriffs Department turned the case over to the FBI, which was more equipped to investigate cases that involve other countries. There wasnt a sign or sound from them for nearly four years until an off-road motorcyclist came upon two shallow graves in the Mojave Desert, tragically revealing the bodies of the couple and their children. Investigation Discovery aired a docuseries focused on the McStay family murders in late May. District Attorneys Office spokesman Christopher Lee declined to comment Thursday, saying it would be inappropriate given the ongoing criminal case. In an email Thursday, sheriffs Lt. Sarkis Ohannessian declined to comment, citing the ongoing criminal case. Prosecutors say Merritt owed McStay more than $42,000. Though it is possible that Summer was using a different name, there are no records of passports under any of her other names. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! A 3-pound Stanley-brand sledgehammer, the suspected murder weapon, was found in one of the graves, and the skeletal remains indicated the McStay family had suffered multiple bone fractures to the . The family and friends of the McStays did not expect them to be at the Mexican border. Hes a scumbag;hes a creep;he doesnt deserve to walk the earth or take a breath, Patrick tellsAmerican Greed. He killed somebody that trusted in him and gave him a chance when a lot of other people knew he was a crook and then he kills my grandsons, brutally. Two shallow graves contained the remains of Joseph, his wife Summer, 4-year-old son Gianni and 3-year-old son Joe Jr. Investigators say they have a lot of . Create your own unique website with customizable templates. At that point, the investigation shifted from searching for missing persons to investigating a possible murder. Their children, Gianni and Joseph Jr., were 4 and 3, respectively. Our priority is picking up the points as soon as we can. The McStay family murders occurred on or about February 4, 2010, after the family disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, United States. We need to find the killer., For more on the tragic case that has baffled authorities pick up this weeks issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Monday. It's very difficult to review this case, as there, The FBi has been murdering people for years since their, Clearly its hard for some people to understand that although, What is taking so long? It didnt take this long. 1:22. I think that, when this show airs, so many people know the case Theres going to be a lot of debate. Publicly Merrittwho had several prior convictions on his recordclaimed to be Josephs best friend. Inside, he found a relatively normal scene. Arrest in slaying of . Photos of McStay Family Murder . Prosecutors contend greed is the motive for the murders. There was no evidence to determine where the family went or why they had left. Copyright 2022 Crime Museum, LLC - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy |. Lastly, neither party to this case is arguing or disputing that it was in fact the McStays whom were the victims in this case, according to McGees motion. It wasn't until January 2019 that his trial even started after it was revealed that he dismissed many lawyers to defend himself in court. No mention was made by investigators or attorneys during Merritts preliminary hearing that investigators believe Summer McStay had been raped, nor has any evidence been presented publicly to indicate that, other than what McGee included in his motion. A funeral service will be held on Sunday, March 5th 2023 at 2:00 PM at the . Dylan Eason and Isaiah Churchwell were convicted of murdering Cynthia William "Patrick" Alexander remains in prison for murder. For years, that was the prevailing belief among law enforcement. How did four people end up here in the middle of nowhere, over 100 miles from where they live? he asked. The case had been baffling from the start. Prosecutors claim that the McStays were murdered by Merritt for financial gain. I did not do this.. Charles "Chase" Merritt was sentenced to death Tuesday for killing the McStay family of Fallbrook. The sledge hammer is the likely murder weapon. The District Attorneys Office, according to McGee, has opposed the motion about the familys photos and videos, which will be argued Friday before Judge Michael A. Smith. Everything. Read More:Nicole Berte Murder: Where is Randy Lee Bode Now? 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. Merritts trial has been delayed multiple times due to Merritt attempting to represent himself and repeatedly firing his attorneys, he has gone through five between November 2013 to February 2016. On February 4, 2010,Summer McStay, her husbandJoseph, and their young sonsGianni andJoseph Jr.disappeared from San Diego, California. On November 7, 2014, police announced they had arrested Charles "Chase" Merritt, Joseph . There were at least four impacts to the skull of Joseph McStay, and at least seven impacts to 4-year-old Gianni. Nicole Berte Murder: Where is Randy Lee Bode Now. The gift by aselin debison free sheet music. He was joined by his defense team: three attorneys from the High Desert. Summers passport was expired and investigators could not find any records that she had applied for a new one. What looked normal to Josephs brother but was alarming to investigators. Later that night, he received a phone call from animal control, which was planning to take the dogs because they had been left outside without food for over a week. Merritt, who faces the death penalty if convicted, has pleaded not guilty to the crimes. San Bernardino County sheriffs investigators believe Summer McStay, who along with her husband Joseph and two young sons was fatally beaten with a sledgehammer and buried in a shallow grave near Victorville, may have been raped before she was killed, according to a court document. McGee stated in his motion that the identity of the victims was not in dispute, and that DNA and dental records positively identified the McStay family as homicide victims after their skeletal remains were discovered in two shallow graves in November 2013, west of the 15 Freeway and north of Stoddard Wells Road. I never knew who did it, Ms Watson says in Two Shallow Graves. Randi Kaye discusses her investigation into the murder of the McStay family, including her interview with "Chase" Merritt Two days later, the remains were identified as the McStay family. It would have been impossible for the McStays to travel into Mexico with insufficient documents. Merritt disputes the theory and argues, in the documentary, that hed been the one raising the alarm about the McStays disappearance, claiming he would have reported the four missing if the family hadnt. In 2019, Charles "Chase" Merritt was accused of killing Joseph McStay's family during his trial for the murders. Josephs business partner, Chase, claimed to have met him for a lunch meeting on the afternoon of February 4, 2010. The family of four had just moved into their Southern California home when they vanished on the night of Feb. 4, 2010. January 21, 2020 Merritt, 62, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Joseph McStay, 40. In November 2013, almost four years later, a motorcycle rider found two shallow grave sites in the desert, just north of Victorville. 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. To add a new type of media, please go to the Admin Console. Investigation Discovery's 'Two Shallow Graves' follows the trial of Charles "Chase" Merritt, the man who [] Their disappearance was widely reported by the national news media. Chase, you are a low-life coward and a baby killer. It certainly isn't justice, not for Murray or for her family. Case 8, Dorothy Scott He had a criminal record and, it turned out, had been skimming money from the enterprise. Reports state that Susan, Joseph's mother, was visibly upset and described him as a "despicable, evil monster," adding that knowing how the family was murdered had made her life a nightmare. The family was from Fallbrook, a quiet bedroom community in San Diego County. There was Mrs McStays ex-boyfriend, who sent her an email just months before the familys disappearance telling the mother-of-two hed love her for ever. He lived nearby and had been arrested for threatning a neighbour and her daughter. He seemed caught off guard, like Oh, I didnt realize I was doing that, San Bernardino County District AttorneyBritt Imes tellsAmerican Greed.. Merritt, a business associate of Joseph McStay, was arrested in 2014. Given the evidence, Chase was eventually found guilty of murdering the McStay family. According to cell tower data, on February 4, 2010, his phone was near the McStay family home. Charles Meritt did the welding, creating some of the metal work, the fountains, and Joseph was the businessman behind it all, and from all accounts, he was flourishing, Shin tells American Greed.. I think its probably true; he has read everything, hes currently working on a book about his case and hes constantly working on it in some way. While Joseph went to a work meeting, Summer spoke to her sister over the phone and planned to visit later. The McStay Family Memorial is located in a very rural desert area directly north of the I-15 Stoddart Wells/Quary Rd exit. He stands charged with first-degree murder in connection with the February 2010 bludgeoning deaths of Summer McStay, 43, her husband Joseph McStay,40, and their two children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3. Although Merritt adamantly denied being at the location of the makeshift graves, To learn more about the case, tune into Monday's episode of. With trial footage, and with getting access to Merrit and to the prosecution and to the defense attorneys, I think we were able to creat a much more intimate picture for an audience that gives you the whole story, Mr Fitzpatrick says. GUILTY. After he reported the family missing on 15 February, police discoverd the McStays vehicle had been towed from a parking lot near the border with Mexico on 8 February. 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.