Joseph, 40, was suffering from a mystery illness in the months before he went missing with Summer and their two young children, and would spend days in bed barely able to walk. 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. [34], On May 22, 2022, the case was looked at again on the Investigation Discovery docuseries Two Shallow Graves. Huh? The disappearance of Joseph, Summer and their two sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3 gripped the nation for almost four years, keeping people guessing until their bodies were discovered lying in a shallow grave in the Californian desert on November 15. Merritt also says Summer had a terrible temper and would often snap at her husband over completely insignificant things. 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. Joseph McStay and his wife, Summer, and their 4- and 3-year sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr., were a fun-loving, happy family who'd recently settled into a comfortable life in Fallbrook, California. Blake said Merritt and Kavanugh got into arguments in two meetings during the spring of 2010. I know you dont believe me and thats what kills me. "I hope you burn in Hell," he told the man convicted of killing his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. Merritt was due to speak next. The bodies of the McStay family were found buried in the Mojave desert in 2013, three years after the family vanished from their home in San Diego County. He said healing will be a lifelong thing for his family, but he knows they can do it together. The court took a brief break. 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 bodies of Joseph McStay, 40, and his wife Summer, 43, along with their sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, were found in a shallow grave in the desert north of Victorville in 2013. After three years of suspicion, the family's bones were discovered in a desert over a hundred miles from their house. Joseph McStay owned a custom fountain business and worked with Merritt. Charles Merritt was convicted of killing Joseph and Summer McStay along with their two sons. At the time, Joseph owned an online company named Earth Inspired Products that sold decorative water fountains. Merritt later told police that he ignored the voicemail because he was watching a movie. "We don't run this circus. #mcstay #nbc7 https://t.co/nZp6QeV6sQ, I dont know that I can ever explain the impact this man has had on my family, she said. "It didn't just mark me that day," Michael McStay said. "Hes an excellent surfer and soccer player. A decade after the family went missing, their killer was sentenced to death in January 202. called the investigation into his son's disappearance . They said that he wrote checks totaling more than $21,000 on Joseph's business account in the days after the family was killed and then went on a gambling spree at nearby casinos, where he lost thousands of dollars. Merritt lashed out at prosecutors he said framed him, some witnesses he accused of lying and the judge he said allowed it to happen. In the McStay family murders, Judge listens to arguments that sentence should be reduced from death penalty to life in prison without parole. 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. [3] The trial began on January 7, 2019, in San Bernardino. I just dont remember very much because I fell to the office floor. She would fawn over him and call him, her Joseppi. De Atley is a Cal State Long Beach graduate with a double major in journalism and political science. [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 and the public also focused on Merritt, the last known person to have had contact with Joseph and the first to notice his disappearance. What lack of sleep REALLY does to your face: Expert reveals the warning signs your skin is suffering, My Daily Horoscope: What does March 2nd hold for MY star sign? Indian lodge motel in joseph oregon. "We don't run this circus. The attorney stopped Merritt, saying, "You can't.". He was sentenced to the death penalty for the slayings of Joseph McStay's wife, Summer McStay, 43, and the couple's two sons, Gianni McStay, 4, and Joseph McStay, Jr., 3. 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. Michael McStay said watching his parents bury his brother was the most "unnatural" thing he could've ever witnessed. Do I think Chase is involved? Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Le 9 fvrier 2010, il avait envoy un courrier lectronique au pre de Joseph McStay, alertant de la disparition de son associ : Je n'ai pas de nouvelles de Joe. How could you beat two precious little babies? 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. 'It's like they went poof,' Susan recalled. Arent you tired, man? he asked. Merritt looked at Blake as she spoke. Gavin Newsom has placed a moratorium on executions while hes in office. She was obsessed with the idea of being Italian and that was her name for him. Jackie Collins taught me everything I know. [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. Crying for mommy and daddy? It is my deepest desire in my own life not to spread pain and suffering, said a soft-spoken Jonah McStay. Here are the seven best ways to wear them this spring. You cannot get back time. 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. #mcstay #nbc7 https://t.co/xNxV3CqRtr. Basically, she wouldnt let him near her. Inconclusive:After three years of searching, the San Diego Sheriff's Department investigators concluded in April 2013 that the McStay family had gone to Mexico voluntarily, Frustrating: The McStays friends and family insisted they would never go to Mexico with their children, but there was no other explanation, Heartbreaking: On November 11, 2013, an off-road motorcyclist came across the family's human remains in San Bernardino County's Mojave Desert. "I did not do this thing. The correct identity is San Bernardino CountySupervising Deputy District Attorney Britt Imes. #nbc7 pic.twitter.com/usvvTgHitl. A lot of his close friends did not trust her and thought she treated him very badly. And when four skeletal remains were found in shallow graves in the remote Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, it put an end to any belief the McStays had started a new life in the sunshine. He maintained his innocence, saying something has always been "amiss" in this case. 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. How scared were they, Chase? Note:A previous version of this story misidentified the prosecutor who questioned Michael McStay. 'They actually thought that was really them going over the border on the video,' said Susan, who was skeptical but still headed to Mexico to search for her family. 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. Summer had also ordered a Spanish-language education program a few months prior to their disappearance. [6] Joseph owned and operated Earth Inspired Products, a company that built decorative fountains, and Summer was a licensed real estate agent. Then a few people started putting the idea in his head that maybe Summer was behind it. Theres nothing more valuable on this Earth than time and that was stolen from them; that was stolen from us," he said. But when Rodriguez questioned her Tuesday, Blake said, Thats what was said, but I dont know for sure.. [17] Other critics of the theory noted that the McStays had more than $100,000 in bank accounts, with no withdrawal of funds in preparation for a trip, and their accounts were untouched after their disappearance. Obviously that was a real problem for Joseph and he used to talk to me about it regularly. "[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. She really didnt like anyone being around Joseph and the family other than herself and a very small, selective group of people. He had this problem right up until the day he went missing. After frustrating delays in proceedings in a Southern California courtroom last week, an emotional sentencing hearing resumed Tuesday for the man convicted in the mysterious killings of the McStay family, including two boys, ages 3 and 4. ': Anguish of $21m fraudster banker's wife after he's found running POT FARM a year after faking his suicide, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, TN residents say Jack Daniel's distillery spews black mold, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' [1] At 8:28 pm, a call was placed from Joseph's cell phone to his business associate, Charles "Chase" Merritt, which went to voicemail. Il avait t le premier dplorer la disparition de Joseph McStay et sa famille , en fvrier 2010. "Death was the appropriate verdict for those three offenses," the judge said. [10], Over the next several days, relatives of the McStays unsuccessfully tried to contact the family. ", Chase Merritt watching and listening. Charles "Chase" Merritt, who was convicted of murdering the McStay family of four of Fallbrook, speaks to the judge before his sentencing at San Bernardino Superior Court in San Bernardino on. The bodies were identified asJoseph, Summer, Joseph Mateo, and Gianani McStay. Investigators believe that Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their sons, 4-year-old Gianni and 3-year-old Joseph, were bludgeoned to death in their home in the San Diego County community of Fallbrook on Feb. 4, 2010, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said Friday. The McStay family of Fallbrook was last heard from or seen on Feb. 4, 2010. After 8-Hour Day in Court, Sentencing Delayed for Man Who Killed McStay Family. I honestly believed my psychiatrist . [2][7] The deaths were ruled a homicide and San Bernardino County authorities said they believed the family died of blunt force trauma inside their home, but declined to discuss specifics of the deaths or a motive. The shocking claims will stun everyone who has followed the McStay family disappearance since they first went missing back on February 4, 2010. Susan explained that her son and daughter-in-law would often go on 'little mini-trips' with their kids in California, so they weren't alarmed at first. [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. Why? Imes asked, and Michael broke down on the witness stand. During her morning testimony, Blake also described heated arguments between Merritt and Dan Kavanaugh, both business partners in McStays decorative fountain business. On February 19, California police notified Interpol to be on the lookout for the family. According to prosecutors, greed was the motive for the killings and Merritt killed the McStays because he had been embezzling thousands of dollars from Joseph McStay's business. A license plate search for the vehicle led to the discovery that the McStay's SUV had been towed from a parking lot near San Ysidro, California, right near the U.S.-Mexico border, on February 8, 2010, four days after they went missing. At one point he said to me, "Maybe I should start eating out more and stop eating her food". On February 13, Joseph's brother Michael traveled to the McStay residence and climbed in and gained entry to the home upon finding an open window in the back. And now, victim impact statements before formal sentencing. Instead, they said, authorities zeroed in on an innocent man. 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. In the family's home, investigators found bowls of uneaten popcorn, as if the family had just been there, and planned to return. Never again will we hear their voices. #mcstay #nbc7 pic.twitter.com/CGQmypfaZb. 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 mother of Joseph McStay wept on the witness stand Tuesday as she recounted the moment in November 2013 when she learned the remains of her son, his wife, and their boys aged 3 and 4, missing for more than three years, had been found buried in the High Desert near Victorville. We were incredibly busy with the business, things were really flying, but he would often just have to work on his laptop from his bedroom. [33] The court upheld the jury's recommendation, and Merritt was sentenced to death on January 21, 2020. Who'll find love on our blind date? The thing that is bringing you this solace, is ending my life. California currently has a moratorium on death row executions. Upon his arrival, he noticed that Joseph's 1996 Isuzu Trooper was missing, but their dogs were in the backyard. Our lives were intertwined both on a business and a personal level. Finally, Joseph McStay's only surviving son from a previous marriage, Jonah McStay, took the podium. Our last name is mentioned. The impression I get is that Summer would use her sexuality to get attention and get what she wanted. Merritt is charged with killing his business associate Joseph McStay; McStay's wife, Summer; and their 3- and 4-year-old sons. He was sentenced to death on January 21, 2020. In 2010, Joseph McStay (age 40), and his wife Summer (age 43), lived in Fallbrook, California, with their sons Gianni (age 4) and Joseph Jr. (age 3). Merritt was arrested the following year. Hes considering motion of insufficient evidence to support verdict. #McStay family visibly frustrated. 'And then as the days went by, you start thinking, "Okay, something's not right here." Investigators said they also traced Merritts cellphone to the area where the bodies were buried in the days after the family disappeared and to a call seeking to close McStays online bookkeeping account. A neighbor's security camera was triggered at 7:47PM when the McStays . Voice shaking, it was Merrit's turn to speak to the courtroom and to the McStay family's loved ones. Family members react to the arrest: Summer McStays brother-in-law, Joseph Russell, speaks and then Michael McStay, brother of Joseph McStay, speaks. The mother of Joseph McStay wept on the witness stand Tuesday as she recounted the moment in November 2013 when she learned the remains of her son, his wife, and their boys aged 3 and 4,. His arrest was announced on November 7, 2014. So why was being grilled about her books on Mastermind so Why should I be asked to tip when I shop online? He has pleaded not guilty to the charges that he killed McStay, 40, a former business associate; his wife, Summer, 43, and their two children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, in their Fallbrook home on Feb. 4, 2010, then buried their bodies more than 100 miles away in two shallow graves in the Mojave Desert, north of Victorville and west of the 15 Freeway. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Josephs illness was well documented and had left his entire family completely baffled. June 10, 2019 Merritt is found guilty of murdering the McStay family. She also touched on the media attention and pressures her family has coped with for years, including questions from strangers. Merritt who was once a person of interest in the familys 2010 disappearance claims some of Josephs friends started telling him to be careful around Summer, 43. Mystery at the Border: With Christopher Crutchfield Walker, Joseph McStay, Summer McStay, Gianni McStay. This included Susan Blake, Joseph McStay's mother. 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. [14], The circumstances surrounding the family's disappearance and the lack of clues about their whereabouts triggered speculation by amateur sleuths. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Their dogs. He was arrested last year. 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. 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. 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.. [17] Because their car was found so close to the Mexican border, police reviewed surveillance footage of the pedestrian gate into Mexico. Il ne rpond pas au . (Will Lester . Seven months later, on November 11, 2013, an off-road motorcyclist came across human remains in San Bernardino County's Mojave Desert. Day by day, month by month, the case grew colder. Where were they? [2] In April 2013, the San Diego Sheriff's Department announced that they believed that the McStays traveled to Mexico voluntarily.[18]. On Feb. 15, the family was reported missing to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. My brother was I looked up to my brother. 'When I last talked to my son, on February 4, he said he still didnt feel good,' said Blake, adding that she had provided the Sheriffs Dept with information on Josephs health problems. But even then rumors of dubious dealings with Mexican cartels bubbled away. A license plate search for the vehicle led to the discovery that the McStay's SUV had been towed from a parking lot near San Ysidro, California, right near the U.S.-Mexico border, Gone: The family was considered missing, and detectives notified Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, to be on the lookout for headin to Mexico, Can't tell: Deputies released a video of a group of people similar to the McStay family entering Mexico hand in hand through the pedestrian gate around 7 p.m. on February 8, 2010, Devastating: Joseph's parents headed to Mexico to hang flyers and search for them but never found anything. Who killed the McStay family? His face was stoic. It was a mystery and he started to consider everything and anything. It was to me, at the time, very scary, so I literally walked out and said If my son loses his business, so be it, I need to find my family and I left., Under questioning by Rodriguez, Blake described the argument as filled with A lot of, lot of cussing, screaming at each other Chase wanted to wring his neck.. He asked for funds to keep the business going, and at that time I would do anything to help my son probably not in my right mind anyway at that time, she said. [2], On November 7, 2014, police announced they had arrested Charles "Chase" Merritt, Joseph McStay's business partner, and intended to charge him with the murders. Just a monster. The next week, deputies released a video of a group of people similar to the McStay family entering Mexico hand in hand through the pedestrian gate around 7 p.m. on February 8, 2010, the same day their vehicle was towed. We're just the clowns.". I would never hurt him in any way. At center is Erin McStay, Michaels wife. There were no signs of forced entry or any foul play, which baffled investigators and suggested the family left on their own accord. But speaking on CNN in 2010 he said: 'My understanding was in the last year hed been having these vertigo type symptoms. In 2010, Joseph McStay (age 40) and his wife Summer (age 43) lived in Fallbrook, California, with their sons Gianni (age 4) and Joseph Jr. (age 3). Joseph McStay - the father of the family of four found dead in the California desert after vanishing nearly four years ago - had suspicions his wife was POISONING him in the days before their . Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, vanished from their home in Fallbrook, California, on February 4, 2010. I know the thought of leaving her crossed his mind, probably quite a lot, but he would never actually go through with it., The comments below have not been moderated, 'Insane' man who lived with his dead mother and stepfather for three days after murdering them recaptured one day after escaping from mental institution, Alabama pastor suspected of stabbing wife to death in July arrested as he tried to board flight to Germany, 'Jail food is cold, the water's bad and my cell doesn't have a microwave': Drug lord suspect writes to complain about prison conditions as he awaits trial, 'Can you imagine telling your four kids he's gone, then he turns up alive? Mystery:Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, vanished from their home in Fallbrook, California, on February 4, 2010, Tragedy: Joseph'sparents, Patrick McStay and Susan Blake, have opened up about the murders on the second season of the Oxygen true-crime series Killer Motive. Gavin Newsom has placed a moratorium on executions while he's in office. Tony Shin reports for NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2019. [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. Joseph's family confirmed that he had an unexplained illness and that Summer was possessive of her husband, but they called Merritt's suggestion that she was responsible for his illness unfounded. [4] On June 10, 2019, a jury found Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family. 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.". Chase, you are a low-life coward and a baby killer. Merritt and Kavanaugh both worked with McStays online business, Earth Inspired Products, which offered outdoor water fountains to customers. Kavanaugh has denied any involvement in the familys disappearance and slayings. Prosecutors told jurors Merritt killed the family after learning McStay was cutting him out of his business making and selling custom water fountains. He always said, "I have messed up one family before, I will not be unfaithful and ruin another one". January 21, 2020 Merritt, 62, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Joseph McStay, 40. Patrick said, "I truly believe she loved my son. Disappeared examines the case of the McStay family who vanished from their Southern California home and may have headed into Mexico. His son, Joseph, his daughter-in-law, Summer, and their two little boys - Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3 . "The extreme violence and savagery of the nature of the killings -- particularly of two small children -- far outweigh the totality of all of the mitigating evidence," the judge added.