CA - Joey, Summer, Gianni, Joseph Jr McStay Murders - Feb 4th 2010 #20

[Tricia]

On Feb 4th, 2010 the McStay Family, Joey, Summer, Gianni, and Joseph Jr vanished from their home. It looked like the family simply got up and left their home never to return.

Law Enforcement was convinced that the McStay family ran away to Mexico.

Patrick McStay, Joey's father, along with other loved ones knew there was no way Joey and his family would never flee to Mexico. There was no reason for this scenario presented by law enforcement.

Up until the remains of the family were found buried in the desert on November 11, 2013, Patrick McStay searched for his son and his family.

Family friend Chase Merritt was arrested for the McStay family murders on Nov 7th, 2014 and finally, Merritt's first-degree murder trial is underway.

The McStay forum is in our private section. However, we are making the discussion of the trial public.

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#1 CA - Joey, Summer, Gianni, Joseph Jr McStay Murders - Feb 4th 2010

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[Harmony 2]

STOP personalizing posts. Timeouts will be forthcoming if this manner of posting continues.

Differences of opinion are to be expected and are allowed as long as the discussion remains civil and respectful. Looking at something from another angle is the foundation of this forum community. To expect members from all over the world and all walks of life to think the same is unrealistic.

If you don’t agree with a post, either scroll and roll or put the other member on ignore. Do not announce that you are placing someone on ignore- just do it.

Stick to the facts and use links to back up your assertions. If you see a problematic post, hit the alert/report button and move on.

 

[Sillybilly]

Please continue discussion here.

 

[MissJames]

I have never been so happy about any closing arguments happening, I don't think.

I know it's because this trial has been painfully laborious to complete.

It still astounds me how long it took for the DT to complete their side of this case.

For anyone who hasn't followed it they just wouldnt believe it. It's still hard for me to even believe, especially when all of the DT witnesses could have been done and over in a week or so. Imo yet they started at the end of February, iirc. Think about all of the wasted time!!! Unbelievable.

Never will I ever follow another trial if McGee, ,and Maline are the defense attorneys. Imo, they have thumbed their nose to the CA taxpayers who are carrying this burden. Having to pay outrageous money for so called experts who were so overpaid. Imo
They've done so many unethical underhanded deceitful things.

They have lied in OS hoping now the jury forgets about what they promised they would prove to them. They need to be reported to the ABA. Imo.
.
The only logical answer that makes any sense to me is the DT used this stall tactic to push back the inevitable from coming to a swift conclusion.

In over 35 years of trial following I've ever seen anything like this DT. Never. Were they hoping the jury would forget the victims, and how brutally they were all murdered? Hoping to erase the images of their tattered remains in the graves, and what CM reduced them to when once vibrant, happy, and alive with such promising futures?

I've heard of some defense hoping the same, but it will never work. It never does. This jury will be forever haunted by what they have seen. I know. The images of the victims I saw as a juror remain painfully vivid to this day years later.

As the long journey for the victims is finally coming to an end... my heart, prayers, and sincere warm thoughts are with everyone who loved, admired, and deeply misses the beautiful little Joey McStay family.

I don't know why I'm so emotional when it comes to this particular case. I think it's because they were all so undeserving for what happened to them all. All 4 who had absolutely done nothing wrong. So innocent.

Joey was a kind caring soul. How we need many more Joeys, and far less CMs of the world.

Its heartbreaking to know how much they loved each other, and in the end both Joey, and Summer were helpless in protecting their beloved little boys. I can't even imagine the anguish they both experienced knowing they were all going to die, and be murdered by the very one Joey had helped more than anyone in Merritt's life, imo.

It truly is a horrific case about the ultimate betrayal!

Jmho only!

Jose Baez and the Casey Anthony trial changed my faith in our justice system. It was also a long-winded , deceiptful miscarriage of justice. The Prosecution & defense teams argued bitterly. It was a circus.
Defending a client should not mean throwing away your moral compass . It should not include ruining people you know are innocent, just to create doubt (and I do mean CREATE).
Getting a client “off” ,using any means possible ,is not the same as defending a client vigorously. JMO

 

[Recidivist]

okay. thank you.

 

[katydid23]

Okay, we are finally at the home stretch. I have been saying all along, that the Closing Arguments are going to be what decides this case. The Prosecution is depending upon the jurors being able to connect the dots of the circumstantial evidence. They will have to connect those dots for the jurors in their closing, in a clear and convincing fashion.

And the Defense will have to have convincing explanations for a few things pointing to Guilt.

I cannot wait to see how they all do.

 

[Force Ten]

Okay, we are finally at the home stretch. I have been saying all along, that the Closing Arguments are going to be what decides this case. The Prosecution is depending upon the jurors being able to connect the dots of the circumstantial evidence. They will have to connect those dots for the jurors in their closing, in a clear and convincing fashion.

And the Defense will have to have convincing explanations for a few things pointing to Guilt.

I cannot wait to see how they all do.

I'm sure the defense will hammer home that there's no evidence the murders happened in the home. And the clutter. And the dirty surfaces. Etc. They have really little foundation imo to build on. There are so many unknowns of how things happened in this case that the jury won't care about that, that there is enough evidence to support Merritt is responsible.

"We don't have all the answers to what happened" - Sean Daugherty

 

[geevee]

Okay, we are finally at the home stretch. I have been saying all along, that the Closing Arguments are going to be what decides this case. The Prosecution is depending upon the jurors being able to connect the dots of the circumstantial evidence. They will have to connect those dots for the jurors in their closing, in a clear and convincing fashion.

And the Defense will have to have convincing explanations for a few things pointing to Guilt.

I cannot wait to see how they all do.

I don't know how the defense can get past the backdated checks and impersonating JM 4 days after he was killed, their explanation during trial of a new 'alternative accounting system' just lacks so much logic and common sense, it's hard to fathom they think the jury buys it.

I'm looking very forward to the closings though, and imagine judge will give them the whole day (minus his instructions) like he did with the openings.

 

[smr]

The Prosecution is depending upon the jurors being able to connect the dots of the circumstantial evidence. They will have to connect those dots for the jurors in their closing, in a clear and convincing fashion.

rsbm

Instead of connecting dots, the jurors may be finding holes, counting holes. Swiss cheese.

 

[katydid23]

rsbm

Instead of connecting dots, the jurors may be finding holes, counting holes. Swiss cheese.

Can you list the holes? I can see an issue with the lack of forensics for the home as a crime scene.

But what else is considered a hole?

 

[mrjitty]

I don't know how the defense can get past the backdated checks and impersonating JM 4 days after he was killed, their explanation during trial of a new 'alternative accounting system' just lacks so much logic and common sense, it's hard to fathom they think the jury buys it.

I'm looking very forward to the closings though, and imagine judge will give them the whole day (minus his instructions) like he did with the openings.

The defence will just lie like they did in their opening.

They will claim forensic dude explained all this. They will claim Chase was allowed to create his own cheques as "typical in the industry" despite there being no testimony to support it

 

[mrjitty]

@MsFacetious

I agree with you, unpopular opinion or not.

My gut feel is that the prosecution case lacked a big moment.

I've wondered whether the state would have been better to have a forensic financial LE person (not a 3rd party expert) who could have analysed the cheques etc, and testified about all of that as a single witness? I know these people exist.

The key point of the case is the deletion and backdating - but no one witness could tell the story.

 

[mrjitty]

Can you list the holes? I can see an issue with the lack of forensics for the home as a crime scene.

But what else is considered a hole?

The lack of mobile network pings is a bit of a shame. Had LE had warrants sooner, I think this case would be a lot different.

 

[mrjitty]

It blows my mind that all of this week effectively got blown on nutty professor

I guess the Judge really did have a line in the sand about being finished this week and the felt they couldn't string it out any further.

 

[floridagrrl]

I see not dots to connect personally, but I get what you are saying.

Only holes I have seen are the ones dug in a desert to bury this poor family in. Including 2 sweet innocent babies. JMO

Why impersonate a man to close his business accounting system that you supposedly dont know where he is. It’s JMs BUSINESS ACCOUNTING SYSTEM. ONLY GONE 4 DAYS AT THAT TIME. He impersonated JM. Proven fact. Can’t dispute it.
CM wanted to continue doing work I read others say, all these big jobs lined up, right? but let me close the business account real quick? Pretend and commit fraud just a sec. Makes total sense for an innocent man just waiting on his “business partner/associate/whatever” to come home to get back to work. Oh, we know why he really did it, right?

Right?

 

[MsFacetious]

I can't believe we have to wait till Tuesday. Holy crap.

 

[Karinna]

I can't believe we have to wait till Tuesday. Holy crap.

Memorial Day on Monday.

 

[wary]

Can you list the holes? I can see an issue with the lack of forensics for the home as a crime scene.

But what else is considered a hole?

The issue with lack of forensics in the home is—it doesn’t matter much. It would matter if the defense was able to argue that perhaps the McStays weren’t murdered. They can’t.

There’s no way that their being outside the home when they were murdered would point away from CM as the murderer. There’s no way that it would point toward DK as the murderer.

All IMO, of course

 

[MsFacetious]

Memorial Day on Monday.

I know WHY we have to wait. I just can't believe this trial has dragged on for so freaking long. Now we are so close and we still have to wait.

 

[katydid23]

I know WHY we have to wait. I just can't believe this trial has dragged on for so freaking long. Now we are so close and we still have to wait.

And they may not LiveStream it. So maybe we won't even be able to watch it Tuesday morning, but will have to wait until it is downloaded on you tube.