Mcstay family didnt stay safe in their own home killers. The defendant faces four counts of murder and the possibility of the death penalty if convicted. Here is an msm article that mentions the book quote the 57yearold merritt planned to release a book later this year titled, afraid of the light, in which he claimed joseph mcstay had been concerned his wife may have been poisoning him in the days prior to the mcstay familys disappearance. This belief was only cemented by footage showing a family of four crossing the border into mexico that resembled the.
Jun 15, 2015 charles chase merritt, the man accused of killing four members of the mcstay family in 2010, will stand trial, a california judge rules. After a preliminary hearing, a judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for a trial. San bernardino judge allows generic mcstay family photo to. This was about 50% of all the recorded mcstays in the usa. Nov 08, 2014 mystery of mcstay family s disappearance ends with arrest today. Closing arguments today in the case of ca v charles merritt. Guilty chase merritt charged wmurder of joseph, summer. In fact, authorities long believed that their disappearance was completely voluntary. True crime author believes merritt is guilty of mcstay murders.
New york and 1 other state had the highest population of mcstay families in 1840. The bodies of joseph mcstay, 40, and his wife summer, 43. The mysterious disappearance of the mcstay family rick baker on. Feb 03, 2015 chase merritt once said joseph mcstay was his best friend. Chase merritt to represent himself at trial uinterview. Mcstay family was sledgehammered to death by killer. In the middle of your isolation, do you shoot sorrow in your veins. Please sign and date your posts by typing four tildes. Hes also facing an embezzlement charge of which he will plead no contesttoo much evidence. Charles merritt on trial for killing mcstay family with. Even though they had made statements early in the investigation that it had to be more than one person, they changed that in trial. It is believed that he abandoned the mcstays vehicle near the border to throw police off the trail. In 1840 there was 1 mcstay family living in new york. This trial is very low key, but its been going on since january of this year.
The highly anticipated trial is scheduled to begin monday. Nine years after the mcstay family disappeared, their accused killer heads to trial. A san bernardino superior court judge ruled friday that mcstay family murder suspect charles chase merritt will be allowed to have more of his case files in his jail cell than is norm. Below are updates and more information about the hearing and trial regarding the mcstay family trial. Prosecutors declined to comment after the verdict, saying the trial was ongoing. Chase merritt once said joseph mcstay was his best friend. Merritt had been working on a book about the mcstay family murders when. Nov 11, 2014 randi kaye discusses her investigation into the murder of the mcstay family, including her interview with chase merritt. Mcstay murder case moves to trial, but questions remain. On june 24, the jury recommended that merritt be sentenced to death. After a trial that spanned more than four months and depended largely on.
Two adults and two children senselessly lost their lives. Patrick mcstay official page for mcstays, taken too soon, a true story. Merritt had been joseph mcstays business partner and received a call from josephs cell phone on the same night the family disappeared. Jul 01, 2014 a family of four disappeared from their home and was found buried in the desert four years later. Guilty chase merritt sentenced to death for murder of mcstay. Now merritt is accused of killing the mcstay, his wife and two children. On the eve of announcement of jurys verdict, jd crighton is. Resolved charles chase merritt found guilty in mcstay family. Prosecutors argued that merritt was motivated by greed and selfinterest. The book, while tragic in its content, is easy to read and patrick does an excellent good job setting things straight. Nov 25, 20 inside the gruesome mcstay family murder case inside the gruesome mcstay family murder case we need to find the killer, says michael mcstay, whose brother and family turned up dead in shallow graves. Defense parries as prosecution proceeds in mcstay family. This was about 50% of all the recorded mcstay s in the usa. Guilty chase merritt sentenced to death for murder of mcstay family post trial.
A search of their home computer showed that someone did a search on obtaining passports to mexico. This led some people to believe the mcstay family was living somewhere in mexico. A family of four disappeared from their home and was found buried in the desert four years later. When the mcstay family vanished in 2010, foul play was never an apparent suspicion. California man found guilty of killing family of 4. In 20, the familys remains were found 100 miles from their fallbrook home. This belief was only cemented by footage showing a family of four crossing the border into mexico that resembled the mcstay clan. Jun 15, 2015 man was penning book about family hes accused of killing. The verdict capped nearly a decade of tragedy in a case that drew national attention and has been the subject of documentaries and a book. Mcstay family mystery solved, suspect arrested and charged. Since merritts arrest, his trial has been delayed multiple times. After a fivemonth trial in san bernardino, jurors deliberated for about a week before reaching their verdict. Charles ray merritt, 61, stands trial for the murder of a couple and their two sons in san bernardino county, california. Riverside man convicted in mcstay family murders kpbs.
Merritt was arrested in 2014 for the murders of four members of the young mcstay family. Jan 09, 2019 here is an msm article that mentions the book quote the 57yearold merritt planned to release a book later this year titled, afraid of the light, in which he claimed joseph mcstay had been concerned his wife may have been poisoning him in the days prior to the mcstay familys disappearance. San bernardino judge allows mcstay family murder suspect to. Guilty chase merritt sentenced to death for murder of. Jun 10, 2019 patrick mcstay, who lives in texas and launched an online fundraiser to pay for trips to california for the trial, had investigated the familys disappearance and chronicled his findings in a. Nearly a decade later, so much remains unknown about the murders of joseph and summer mcstay and their two young boys. April 2017 chase merritt and the mcstay family murders.
Customs and border protection video, investigators stated the video didnt show the family seeking help and there were no signs of forced entry at the mcstay home in fallbrook, about 70 miles north of the border, or in their suv parked near the border. More than four years later, charles chase merritt was arrested and charged with four counts of murder. After six hours of testimony during a preliminary hearing on monday, a san bernardino judge ordered charles chase merritt to stand trial for allegedly beating to death a san diego county family that was missing for more than three years before being found buried in the mojave desert. Nine years after the mcstay family disappeared, their. In 2018, the trial was postponed again so that his current defense attorney could do more investigating, merritt remained jailed without bail. If dk was involved and it could be proven theyd look stupid.
Summer mcstay may have been raped before she was killed. The mcstay family vanished suddenly in 2010, with bowls of popcorn left. Mcstay family murders the mcstay family went missing almost exactly five years ago, on feb. The author moves readers along to the fateful outcome of his beloved family. Mcstay family hearing and trial updates people vs charles chase ray merritt trial. Through sheer determination and force of will, the defense in the charles merritt murder case this week redirected the jurys focus to an alternative suspect as the perpetrator of the horrific 2010 murders of the mcstay family from the outset of the trial last week the prosecution has sought to paint the trail of evidence implicating merritt.
The mcstay family vanished from their fallbrook home in february 2010. A whole family vanished on february 4, 2010 from their home in fallbrook, ca. Radio host rick baker published a book, no goodbyes. Prosecutors claim he killed business partner joseph mcstay, mcstay s 43yearold wife summer, and the couples sons4 yearold gianni and 3yearold joseph jr. In 20, the family s remains were found 100 miles from their fallbrook home. Take a look at yourself alexander, living like a nomanslander. This blog is meant to serve as a timeline of events leading up to the trial of chase merritt. Nine years after the mcstay family disappeared, their accused killer. Please note everything is written in reverse chronological order. The mcstay family went missing for more than three years from their fallbrook. Now, a jury has reached a verdict in the murder case against. On february 4, 2010, summer mcstay, her husband joseph, and their young sons gianni and joseph jr.
Joseph and summer mcstay are pictured with their children joseph jr 3, front, and gianni, 4. Resolved charles chase merritt found guilty in mcstay. Chase merritt to face trial in slayings of mcstay family. Read the truth about the mcstay murders as told by the family of joseph mcstay.
Paul michael lyons mcstay, mbe, nicknamed the maestro, born 22 october 1964 is a scottish former footballer who spent his entire career with celtic, making his senior debut in 1982 and retiring in 1997. Mcstay family murder suspect chase merritt was writing a book on the case alleging summer mcstay was poisoning her family discussion. Man is convicted of killing family and burying their. Merritt is on trial for the murder of the mcstay family from fallbrook back in 2010. Customs and border protection video, investigators stated the video didnt show the family seeking help and there were no signs of forced entry at the mcstay home in fallbrook, about 70 miles north.
Charles chase merritt sits in a san bernardino courtroom on march 16, 2015. I finished the book in an afternoon, and most definitely learned much i had not previously known about the family. Verdict reached in trial of mcstay family murders and will be. The trial began on january 7, 2019, in san bernardino, california. Joseph and summer mcstay and their two boys, gianni and joey. First, after the mcstay family went missing, chase merritt told. Merritt is charged with murdering the four family members in 2010.
Dec 07, 2017 his trial in the killing of the mcstay family from fallbrook has been scheduled to begin in september. 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. Important notice my book no goodbyes is being sold here on amazon without my permission. Inside the gruesome mcstay family murder case inside the gruesome mcstay family murder case we need to find the killer, says michael mcstay, whose brother and family turned up dead in shallow graves. This is not a forum for general discussion of the articles subject. The mcstay family of four was living a happy life, and had recently moved to a new. Defendant in mcstay murder trial sentenced to mcgo. After a trial that spanned more than four months and depended. Jun 16, 2015 man to face trial in slayings of mcstay family. Schroeder also testified that in examining merritts iphone, he had extracted a photo stream data page that had apparently been accessed by the user at 6. Patrick mcstay, who lives in texas and launched an online fundraiser to pay for trips to california for the trial, had investigated the familys disappearance and chronicled his findings in a.
The police honed in on merritt, submitted themselves for an award for their fantastic work on the mcstay case and they won. The mcstays were an american family found murdered in the desert near victorville, california. The trial finally began on january 7, 2019, in a san bernardino court, with both sides making opening statements. The remains of the family were discovered in two shallow graves in 20. Mystery of mcstay familys disappearance ends with arrest today. Mcstay s taken too soon contains facts and evidence along with family information not seen on the tv programs or in newspaper and magazine articles. Mar 07, 2016 convinced that the family were in a u. Smith agreed with britt imes, one of two prosecutors assigned to the case, that use of one generic family photo of the mcstay family during trial would have some evidentiary. Patrick mcstays new book about the life and murder of the mcstay family from fallbrook, ca. Mcstay family murder suspect chase merritt was writing a book.
I will continue to update this as more information comes in. His trial in the killing of the mcstay family from fallbrook has been scheduled to begin in september. Mcstay farmily patriarch patrick is providing the truth in his book, mcstays. Prosecutors declined to comment after the verdict and families on both. The fate of the mcstay family remained a mystery for nearly five years. The mcstay family name was found in the usa, the uk, canada, and scotland between 1840 and 1920.
At the time, their disappearance transfixed the nation and puzzled. On june 10, 2019, a san bernardino county jury found merritt guilty of murdering the mcstay family. 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. In february 2010, joseph, 40, summer, 43, gianni, 4, and joseph mateo, 3, vanished without a trace. This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the mcstay family murder article. Dugal said he and his partner noticed that merritt spoke about the mcstays in the past tense, saying joseph mcstay was one of. Jan 09, 2019 guilty chase merritt sentenced to death for murder of mcstay family post trial. The authorities also found a surveillance video showing a family of four that resembled the mcstay family crossing on foot into mexico on february 8, 2010.
Before i commit myself to writing a true crime book on a specific case, i must weigh many factors, including the logistical challenges of covering a trial as well as the strength of the prosecutions case. Dugal said he and his partner noticed that merritt spoke about the mcstays in the past tense, saying joseph mcstay was one of his best. On february 4, 2010, summer mcstay, her husband joseph, and their young. Merritts trial has been delayed multiple times due to merritt attempting to. Mcstays taken too soon contains facts and evidence along with family information not seen on the tv programs or in newspaper and magazine articles. Events calendar kpbsarts calendar community conversations one book one. A motion filed in san bernardino superior court on nov. Time the enemy in solving mcstay family killings cnn. When i dedicated myself to this case, i never imagined the trial would take five months. The most mcstay families were found in the uk in 1891. Charles chase merritt, the man accused of killing four members of the mcstay family in 2010, will stand trial, a california judge rules. Charles chase merritt is accused of bludgeoning the mcstay family and.
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