joseph mcstay surviving son

[10], Over the next several days, relatives of the McStays unsuccessfully tried to contact the family. "Hes an excellent surfer and soccer player. Prosecutors eventually discovered that about the time the family vanished thousands of dollars in checks allegedly from McStay to Merritt had been written and cashed. Smith ordered Merritt transferred to San Quentin State Prison until an execution date is scheduled. Merritt is accused of killing his former business associate, Joseph McStay, McStay's wife Summer, and their two small children on Feb. 4, 2010. I believe that [Joseph] trusted Chase and believed in Chase. He would try to ignore it at first, but she would call and call and eventually he would have to go off and deal with whatever drama there was. Joseph McStay owned a custom fountain business and worked with Merritt. How could you beat two precious little babies? And she recounted for Rodriguez how she gave $4,410 in personal checks to Merritt in the months after her son and his family disappeared, based on Merritts claims he needed the money to complete projects for the business. [23] Merritt, who reportedly was the last person Joseph called from his cell phone, also said that he had passed a polygraph test and did not know anything that could help solve the mystery of the family's disappearance. The evidence finally placing Merritt at the scene of the crime was his cellphone data, prosecutors said. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Crying for mommy and daddy?' Just a monster. I was just trying to keep the customers or whoever was calling calm and hopefully to keep the business going. He said healing will be a lifelong thing for his family, but he knows they can do it together. #mcstay #nbc7 https://t.co/Ojp02cg2cJ. She said they clashed in front of her as they argued how to keep the business going. Vanished: Mike also discovered Summer's prescription sunglasses on the kitchen counter, Looking back: Summer is pictured wearing her prescription sunglasses prior to the family's disappearance, Case to crack:There were no signs of forced entry or any foul play, which baffled investigators and suggested the family left on their own accord, First clue: Their neighbor's surveillance camera had captured what appeared to be the family's Isuzu trooper leaving the cul de sac at 7:47 p.m. on the night they went missing. Merritt was transferred to San Quentin State Prison until an execution date is scheduled. She said the two tangled over how to keep the business afloat. Gavin Newsom has placed a moratorium on executions while he's in office. How could you beat two precious little babies? (File photo by Kurt Miller, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG). A year later,Charles 'Chase' Merritt, who was a partner in Joseph's water-fountain business, was arrested for bludgeoning the married couple and their children to death inside their home in Fallbrook because he owed them $30,000. Joseph McStay, 40, and his wife, Summer, 43, disappeared along with their two children, Gianna, 4, and Joseph, 3, from their their serene San Diego-area community more than a month ago. ', Merritt showed no emotion as she said she felt like she'd been hit by a boulder when she was told the bodies were found: 'It's just a nightmare.'. "Closer still because I know what it's like to lose people I love.". "corrupt" . Mystery of McStay money: Family found dead could barely afford rent. Jurors in San Bernardino. When the bodies were found, he offered a refund to those who purchased his book before November 2013. 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. Everything with her seemed to be done for gain.. Merritt was due to speak next. I loved Joseph. #mcstay #nbc7 pic.twitter.com/gDh8XuxqiV, Merritt said he has the "utmost disdain" for the investigators and prosecutors who "put them all in this courtroom" and for the people who, in his words, "manipulated the evidence.". The McStay family disappeared from their Fallbrook home in San Diego's North County in 2010. We dont run this circus. Sheriffs investigators believeSummer McStay may have been rapedbefore she was killed. Two Shallow Graves takes a look at the murders of the McStay family: Joseph, Summer and their two young boys, followed by the shocking trial . Victorville, California CNN . ", Missing McStay family killed, buried in desert, sheriff says, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McStay_family_murders&oldid=1138842709, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 23:11. He was a big part of my life and my familys life. It cant be, Susan Blake testified after she regained herself. Finally, Joseph McStay's only surviving son from a previous marriage, Jonah McStay, took the podium. The McStays have deep Orange County ties, Cirignani said. Merritt was convicted in June 2019 of the murders of his former business associate Joseph McStay, McStay's wife Summer, and their 4- and 3-year-old sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr. (Irfan. At one point he said to me, "Maybe I should start eating out more and stop eating her food". [19] Relatives of the McStays doubted that they would travel to Mexico, saying that Joseph and Summer avoided the country because of the safety threat posed by recent drug wars. [3] The trial began on January 7, 2019, in San Bernardino. Around five months before his disappearance he started suffering terrible problems with his equilibrium and his stomach. Joseph McStay, 40, and his wife, Summer, 43, went missing along with their two children, Gianna, 4, and Joseph, 3. After Joseph, along with his wife and kids, suddenly went missing in February 2010, the authorities didn't have many leads. Michael McStay remembered the day detectives told him and his family that the bodies of his brother, sister-in-law, and nephews had been discovered in the desert. If I want to speak with him, I have to go to a gravesite," Michael McStay added. By February 2016, he had gone through five attorneys. But speaking on CNN in 2010 he said: 'My understanding was in the last year hed been having these vertigo type symptoms. Judge just said clearly its not timely. #mcstay #nbc7 https://t.co/qLzXb6wJlM. Summers sister: My sister walked with a passion and purpose. The case has sparked endless speculation, with both the police and amateur sleuths coming up with countless theories, some plausible, some wild and outrageous. He would often come up and visit me and we would go out for dinner with my wife at the time, but Summer never came. By Jill Sederstrom The McStay Family Goes Missing Now Playing Preview The McStay Family Goes Missing 2:14 Preview McStay Family Car Found Near Mexican Border 2:24 [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. 'And then as the days went by, you start thinking, "Okay, something's not right here." Voice shaking, it was Merrit's turn to speak to the courtroom and to the McStay family's loved ones. The court took a brief break. He said: Summer was a very self-centered, self-obsessed person with an awful temper. In further sensational claims, Merrits new book Afraid of the Light will detail how the couple were having major problems in their relationship and had not had sex for more than a year before they went missing. The family had been beaten to death with a three-pound sledgehammer found in one of the graves. June 10, 2019 Merritt is found guilty of murdering the McStay family. Businessman Joseph McStay, his wife, Summer, and their two young sons -- Gianni 4, Joseph Jr. 3 -- were last heard from Feb. 4. His arrest was announced on November 7, 2014. 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. Our last name is mentioned. I honestly believed my psychiatrist . Two members of a renowned legal family had been shot and killed on their property. [24] When asked if he thought Merritt was a suspect, Joseph's father Patrick said, "I have to have faith in Chase because I have to have faith in my son. During that period, she got an early-morning call from someone in Saudi Arabia, demanding his fountain, she recalled. Joseph McStay's mother, Susan Blake, followed. But what happened to Joseph McStay, 40, his 43-year-old wife, Summer, and sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3? NBC 7's Jackie Crea has more. Joseph and Summer McStay had two sons Gianni and Joseph Jr. The fountain designer has always been seen as a key player in the mystery as he was one of Josephs closest friends and his most trusted business associate. "The constant questions when we are out. Four years ago, Patrick McStay lost everything he loved. and Spanish language lessons. I was not his best friend, but he was mine and I believe he opened up to me about things he would not tell anyone else. Chase, you are a low-life coward and a baby killer. He didnt know what was wrong with him and he was desperate. A jury recommended the death penalty for Merritt for the murders of Summer McStay and the children, and life without the possibility of parole in the killing of Joseph McStay. He was in a really bad way. A judge denied a motion to reduce Charles Merritt's sentencing from the death penalty to life in prison wihtout parole in the killings of Summer McStay, Gianni McStay and Joseph McStay Jr. Michael McStay talks about how much he misses his brother Joseph McStay at Merritt's sentencing. During the lull, NBC 7 spoke with prosecuting attorney Britt Imes about the continuing delays. #nbc7 #mcstay He told Merrit, I want to psychological mess you up. https://t.co/0xbSXeb9kX. Mrs Blake described Josephs symptoms as something similar to vertigo and said he complained of feeling 'woozy'. You start calling his cellphones, her cellphones,' she said. Who killed the McStay family? As recently as April, the FBI believed the family went to Mexico voluntarily. In the family's home, investigators found bowls of uneaten popcorn, as if the family had just been there, and planned to return. Will Payne So unnatural," he said. She would shout at him in the privacy of their own home, but then put on a front like he was the most important person in the world when they were in public. The family had moved to Fallbrook, 45 miles north of San Diego, in November 2009 fromSan Clemente. We used to speak to each other 10 or 12 times almost every day and we would talk about absolutely everything. Disappeared examines the case of the McStay family who vanished from their Southern California home and may have headed into Mexico. On February 19, California police notified Interpol to be on the lookout for the family. when an off-road motorcyclist came across them in the Mojave Desert, New weekly farmers market opens in Cardiff, Dierks Bentleys Gravel & Gold tour coming to San, Vehicle pursuit prompts lane closures on SR-76, SD animal sanctuary rescues cougar orphanedin car, 2 critically injured in head-on collision, Teenage bicyclist hurt in hit-and-run crash, Experts explain concerns, benefits from CA storms, Best deals of Presidents Day weekend 2023, Forgot about Valentines Day? Just stop all the appeals, all the shenanigans. But even then rumors of dubious dealings with Mexican cartels bubbled away. McStay family went missing nearly three years ago Surveillance video shows four people of similar size crossing into Mexico Relatives dispute author's claim that wife was involved in. And then the family that was killed by their own friend?'" Michael McStay's wife spoke next, talking about the pain her family and husband live with every single day. "I want to psychologically mess you up," he said to Merritt. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline Merritt who worked with Joseph in his fountain business - said: I was extremely close to Joseph. Just a monster.". 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.. I would have never raised my hand for a woman or child. I see its written, yes, she answered, confirming it was her signature. For years, police speculated they went to Mexica, but the McStays bodies were later found buried in the Mojave Desert in November 2013. 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. Patrick also searched for their son in Mexico and thought he had a lead when a family claimed to have seen the McStays at Walmart, but security footage confirmed it wasn't them. Here are the seven best ways to wear them this spring. He conducted dozens of interviews on the case (traveling to Mexico, Belize, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic), followed leads, and reported sightings of the family. Chase Merritt, 62, is facing a potential death sentence, or life in prison. ___ 12 a.m. The car's location from February 4 to February 8 remains unknown. "Our family has already received a life sentence. [27], Prosecutors allege that Merritt had a gambling problem and killed the McStay family for financial gain. I'm so bummed out after realising my diagnosis made a few years ago is legitimate. 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. She had asked to get the money back, she said, But I never saw any., Blake had told an investigator that Merritt told her he completed a job for a customer in Saudi Arabia and was paid $17,000. When the McStays car was found in San Ysidro on the Mexican border four days after they were last seen and security footage of a family of four an hour later heading into the Central American country surfaced, the idea they had left of their own accord gained momentum. [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?" 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 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. I did not know any of that part, Blake said. He had a son from a previous relationship, who he didnt get to see much of and he was terrified that would happen with his two boys if he left Summer. They took none of their belongings, left $100,000 in the bank and even abandoned their beloved dogs. ', 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. Seven months later, on November 11, 2013, an off-road motorcyclist came across human remains in San Bernardino County's Mojave Desert. " Finally, Joseph McStay's only surviving son from a previous marriage, Jonah McStay, took. But he would not even entertain the idea of cheating on her. I dont remember bouncing a check, she said. He went to the doctor a number of times, but they just didnt know what was wrong with him. May 23, 2022 Investigation Discovery's ' Two Shallow Graves' follows the trial of Charles "Chase" Merritt, accused of murdering Joseph McStay and his family. Doctors couldnt diagnose the energy-sapping condition and according to his close friend, Chase Merritt, he started to suspect that his fiery wife may have something to do with it. On Tuesday, the judge said the sentencing stands: Merritt gets life in prison for the killing of Joseph McStay, and the death penalty for the slayings of Summer McStay, Gianni McStay, and Joseph McStay Jr. Charles Merritt was sentenced to death for killing the McStay family. And while he does not believe Summer was directly involved, he will dedicate a significant amount of the book to her behavior and the couples relationship. The book will be released later this year. At center is Erin McStay, Michaels wife. This despicable, evil monster. That 8-hour day in court included lengthy motions arguments from Merritt's attorney, Rajan Maline, and even a moment when Merritt tried to interrupt proceedings and fire Maline.