Just a monster.". At around 7:47 pm, part of the family car was captured on a neighbors surveillance camera, but there was no sign of the family after that. It gives you the story of the trial, and it gives you the story of the relationship between Merritt and Joseph McStay, and it gives you the understanding of the families on both sides going through the trial one of the interview subjects that we talked to said, This is going to be the comprehensive look at this story - which has not been done before.. The McStay Family Memorial is located in a very rural desert area directly north of the I-15 Stoddart Wells/Quary Rd exit. Man Convicted Of Killing Couple, Their 2 Sons, 10 Years After Familys Skeletal Remains Found In Desert. The bones found in shallow graves in Southern California's Mojave Desert belong to a San Diego-area family of four missing since 2010 and likely murdered, authorities said. The seven-episode Two Shallow Graves premieres Sunday on Investigation Discovery and will be available to stream on discovery+. In addition, investigators also discovered that Summer had changed her name multiple times throughout her life. However, friends and family claimed this would be out of character, and the couple still had a large amount of money in a bank account that remained untouched. The McStay family - whose bodies were found in a shallow grave in the Californian desert almost four years after they mysteriously vanished - could barely afford to pay $210 a week on rent just . Merritt is accused of killing his former business associate, Joseph McStay, McStay's wife Summer, and their two small children on Feb. 4, 2010. On February 13, when the family hadnt been heard from in nine days, Josephs brother went to the house. 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. But hed also tell Kay during his television interview that he had definitely been the last person to see Joseph. The family had moved into the house three months earlier, and was in the process of unpacking and doing renovations. 0. Arrest in slaying of . When you look at the totality of the picture, you just came right back to its Charles Merritt, Imes tellsAmerican Greed.. 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. 4:25. He was convicted in June 2019, however, and sentenced to death the following January. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, and it appeared they were tortured before they were killed. When Joseph needed to develop his bespoke company, he enlisted Merritt, a fabricator, for assistance. Jan 18, 2020 MCSTAY FAMILY AUTOPSY PHOTOS.. Man convicted of killing McStay family sentenced to death .. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. Thats unusual.. The man found a small human skull that appeared to belong to a child. They were actually written several days after the family disappeared and backdated to make it appear as though theyd been issued before the family vanished. Merritt is documented as writing checks totaling $21,000 on McStays business account, after McStay went missing. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner Walker's body was discovered in a "pugilistic stance," meaning the 40-year-old actor died with his arms up, instinctively trying to shield his head and face from impact. At that point, the investigation shifted from searching for missing persons to investigating a possible murder. . At the time, Joseph owned an online company named Earth Inspired Products that sold decorative water fountains. Summer had stated that she felt that Mexico was too unsafe and that she would never go willingly. Inside The Gruesome McStay Family Murder Case. Merrit himself, the producers say, was nervous to participate since he could not control the narrative. Prosecutors contend greed is the motive for the murders. McGee noted that investigators submitted a DNA analysis request form to the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Departments Forensic Biology Unit to help identify involved parties and verify involved parties. He also referenced an excerpt from page three of the form, which revealed something that has not been disclosed by investigators to date: they believe Summer McStay had been raped before she was killed. Joe Nelson is an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked for The Sun since November 1999. District Attorneys Office spokesman Christopher Lee declined to comment Thursday, saying it would be inappropriate given the ongoing criminal case. So when the family seemingly disappeared four months later without telling any relatives, friends or business associates, and their car turned up four days later at the Mexican border, many people who knew them feared the worst. Their bodies were found on November 13, 2013 in the desert near Victorville, California. 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. Chase further stated that Joseph called him at around 8:28 pm on that evening. Everything. There were also incisions in her bra that lead investigators to believe it was cut off, the motion states. McStay Memorial Erected In . The bodies of 40-year-old California businessman Joseph McStay, his 43-year-old wife, Summer, and sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, were found . A hearing on McGees motion is scheduled Friday in San Bernardino Superior Court. The gift by aselin debison free sheet music. The skeletal remains . Their car was located a few days later, near San Diego, close to the Mexican border. Merritt faces the death penalty if convicted as charged in the case. McStay Family Murders: Who Killed Them? 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. He was joined by his defense team: three attorneys from the High Desert. Joseph McStay's mother Susan Blake addresses the court during the sentencing of Charles Chase Merritt on Jan. 21, 2020 . 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.. But there was an astonishing number of other people whod had significant run-ins with the McStays, according to the new series. Chase went on TVand talked about his relationship with Joseph and one of the key statements that he made was something to the effect of he was definitely the last person who saw Joseph alive, San Bernardino County Sheriffs Sgt. When family members were called in to help identify the people on the video, they had mixed reactions. That was the last time they would ever speak; no one heard from the McStays after 4 February 2010. Jun 15, 2015 Merritt has said there is no direct evidence linking him to the crime scene.. Given the evidence, Chase was eventually found guilty of murdering the McStay family. In 2020, Merritt was sentenced to death following a conviction on four murder counts. There were no signs of foul play, but the fact that they had left the car and toys four days after leaving home, so close to the Mexican border was bizarre. Do you, This was definitely in IL because we are friends with, Hi. If you wish to write to us in regards to this matter, please be advised that we reserve the right to post your. It certainly isn't justice, not for Murray or for her family. California man sentenced to death in killings of McStay family members in 2010 "I did not do this thing," Charles Jan 22, 2020 Smith upheld the recommendation the jury made on June 24, 2019, which said Merritt should be put to death for the murders of Summer McStay and Apr 22, 2020 Chase Merritt sentenced to death.. Much evidence linking Chase Merritt to the McStay family murders were presented by the prosecution.. Perhaps Jan 20, 2021 February 15, 2010 Family members report the McStays missing to the San Diego County sheriff's department. How do you do that?. According to reports, three years after their disappearance, the family's remains were unearthed in two shallow graves in a remote area of the California desert. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- Prosecutors say a sledgehammer was used to kill all four members of the McStay family, and the 4-year-old boy was struck seven times. 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 . Who Killed The McStay Family? Prosecutors say a sledgehammer was used to kill all four members of the McStay family, and the 4-year-old boy was struck seven times. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has yet to release a . McStay Murder Suspect Chase Merritt Has Heart Condition, Lawyer Says . She adds that she still thinks one of the other suspects was involved in the brutal kilings. Kevin McStay (Mayo): "There's a lot of teams that will beat each other before this League is over. Volunteers set up the original memorial site in 2013. The first three episodes of Two Shallow Graves will air on ID (Investigation Discovery) on Sunday, May 22, at 9:00 PM ET. 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. The family had been savagely beaten to death. 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. In an interview with detectives just two weeks after the family was last seen, Merritt talked about his friend in the past tense. John F. Kennedy autopsy photo (#1) 0. Prosecutors said he bludgeoned the family to death with a sledgehammer. On June 10, 2019, a San Bernardino County jury found Charles 'Chase' Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family and recommended that he be sentenced to death. A carton of eggs lay on the counter, and two bowls of popcorn were located in the living room. However, there was raw food left out, which seemed to indicate the family left in a hurry or had the intention to come back soon after. Merritt's DNA was found on the steering wheel and gearshift, even though Merritt told detectives he had never driven that vehicle. Skip to main content. There is reportedly a DNA match that links Merritt to the McStay vehicle, which was found in San Ysidro near the U.S.-Mexico border. He was a business partner of Joseph McStay. It took some time for people to become concerned; the family sometimes took small vacations, so it was more than a week before Mr McStays brother, Michael, stopped by the house to see if it held answers to where they might be. The McStay family mysteriously disappeared from their California home on February 15, 2010. 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. 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. She was predeceased by : her parents, Manuel Sousa and Nicolina Sousa (Melo); and her siblings . 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. And they should be. It wasnt until November 2013 that the case moved forward. 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. Summer will be forever missed by her family and many friends. In Fallbrook, CA, their home was fifty miles north of San Diego and twenty miles inland from the Pacific coast. This led to speculation that the family may have willingly fled the country. A family photo shows Joseph McStay, his wife Summer and sons Gianni and Joseph.