Chase Merritt Charged W/Murder of Joseph, Summer, Gianni and Joe Jr McStay #4

[Karinna]

I have just been reviewing the prosecution & defense closing arguments, and don't know anything else about the case except that Merritt was found guilty. I have a question, has any of this book, apparently a work in progress, been released? Seems pretty self-serving in the snippets Merritt decided to release to dailymail. The other question, did Merritt really pass a lie detector test? Who administered it? Probably not Tammy Lee.

Joseph McStay feared wife was POISONING him before they disappeared claims book | Daily Mail Online

Never heard about any polygraph results involving CM.

 

[Karinna]

Here is an MSM article that mentions the book
(quote)
The 57-year-old 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 family's disappearance.
Patrick McStay says the last time he spoke with Merritt was in January or February of this year when he called Merritt after reading in the media that Merritt was writing a book.

Patrick McStay says it was in that phone conversation that Merritt asked him to review his book.

"He wanted me to read what he was writing. He proceeded to start reading it to me. He said, 'Why don't we collaborate together and write a book?,'" Patrick McStay said.
According to Patrick McStay, the book put Merritt high on his radar. Patrick McStay says he "played along" in hopes of gathering information on what happened to his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
Merritt also spoke to the Daily Mail in November 2013, shortly after authorities found the remains of the McStay family. In that interview, Merritt reportedly said he submitted to a lie detector test not long after the disappearance and that he passed, despite "a couple of inconsistencies."

Authorities said they could not confirm whether or not he did in fact take a polygraph test.
Man arrested in McStay murders was writing book about case

 

[NuttMegg]

Never heard about any polygraph results involving CM.

From the link I posted (daily mail) "Now Merritt – who actually took a voluntary lie detector test at the time of their disappearance and was the last person to see Joseph alive – has decided to write a tell all book, in an effort to clear up the mystery." I've heard before that suspects or those who know they themselves may be a suspect or are guilty will sometimes get "someone" to give them a lie detector test. It's telling that he doesn't say with whom the test was taken. But, as I mentioned, I haven't followed the case until just doing a review this week of how it turned out. So maybe some of you guys discussed the polygraph long ago.

 

[Meemaw12]

Yes, I did not mean that they do not occur at all, only that it is rare.
The number of inmates murdered in jail and prison has steadily declined significantly since the 1980's. At that time there were about 54 deaths per one hundred thousand inmates. Today that number is more like 3 or 4 murders per 100,000 inmates.

I'm not sure of the exact numbers because it varies year to year but it still safer for a criminal to be in prison than out on the streets.

However, as I said, the number of reported assaults are much higher, especially sexual assault, but those cases are difficult to prove. Imo

I understand. It just shocks me every time I see it in the paper. I wonder how the heck and the stabbings too.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Thank you so much. I wonder if the PT will use this evidence of premeditation in final arguments. They should. It's horrible.

I'm sure they will although all 12 jurors already believe all four murders were first degree murders done with premeditation.

Jmo

 

[MsBetsy]

I understand. It just shocks me every time I see it in the paper. I wonder how the heck and the stabbings too.

Well, Israel Keyes managed to kill himself in his cell with a guard sitting right outside so the staff are not always able to prevent such things.

Do we know which prison he could be sent to? Does it depend on whether or not he is sentenced to death or life without parole? Imo

 

[Tortoise]

Like @Tortoise I suspect he was poisoning him for a long time.

Same as the Helen Bailey case

There are many similarities between the cases!

1. Both men in their fifties.
2. Gradual poisoning involved in HB's case, signs are that it may also have been involved in JM's case. Neither case was poisoning the cause of death.
3. Betraying their victims - pretending to be in love/best friends.
4. No violent criminal history - although IS is now being investigated for his first wife's unexpected death.
5. Motive greed - hoping to acquire the victim's fortunes. HB had just made a new will to his benefit. JM had acquired a franchise contract potentially worth millions.
6. Hiding the bodies.
7. Staging the victims leaving voluntarily.
8. Waiting a week to reluctantly report them missing.
9. Altering the initial stories concocted to some really absurd tales at trial.
10. Both caught out by cell phone records.
11. Accessing the victims' bank accounts fraudulently.

 

[A lucas]

Re the book CM was writing. As if killing them to steal their money wasn’t enough, he then continued to think of ways to milk the McStay gravy train long after he put them in the ground.

Writing a book to make more money from people you murdered? This man has no shame, regret, conscience, morals etc. He’s the lowest of the low. Utterly despicable.

 

[NuttMegg]

Well, Israel Keyes managed to kill himself in his cell with a guard sitting right outside so the staff are not always able to prevent such things.

Do we know which prison he could be sent to? Does it depend on whether or not he is sentenced to death or life without parole? Imo

Keyes expressed to investigators that a drawn out life sentence being incarcerated, even just incarcerated awaiting trial, would be a fate worse than death to him, paraphrased. So he killed himself. One example of LWOP being considered worse than the death sentence. Too bad CW is apparently not of that same frame of mind, and CM seems the cowardly type too, although maybe a death sentence will be applied even though taking many years to occur.

 

[NuttMegg]

Re the book CM was writing. As if killing them to steal their money wasn’t enough, he then continued to think of ways to milk the McStay gravy train long after he put them in the ground.

Writing a book to make more money from people you murdered? This man has no shame, regret, conscience, morals etc. He’s the lowest of the low. Utterly despicable.

These days it's actually easy to self-publish on Amazon, digitally. There are even digital booklets for sale (on amazon, of course) explaining all the steps, and it can be done easily on a home pc. He wouldn't have needed to find a publisher, per se. The "book" was probably just a vehicle to divert attention from himself while blackening the name of one or more victims. A lot like we see on the youtube channels seeking monetization, devoted to character assassination of SW.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

In the states who have the death penalty as an option it has worked well for LE, but has also worked for family members of murdered victims who's remains were still missing unable to be located, and the murderers had been refusing to tell them.

Murderers have been willing to confess even pleading guilty sparing the families from enduring a trial because they were afraid of getting the death penalty.

Or telling the families where their missing loved one's remains were located if the death penalty was taken off of the table.

It has been a workable successful leverage tool for a very long time both for LE, prosecutors, and for family members.

What it shows without a doubt the thoughts of THEM being put to death terrifies them, and its what many murderers fear the most.

It's always astounded me how they are really such little yellow bellied cowards in the end when caught.. even though none of them had any thoughts about all of the innocent victims they preyed upon when cruelly taking THEIR lives away from all of them.

To me most murderers would settle for LWOP over being sentenced to death.

Imo

 

[MsBetsy]

Keyes expressed to investigators that a drawn out life sentence being incarcerated, even just incarcerated awaiting trial, would be a fate worse than death to him, paraphrased. So he killed himself. One example of LWOP being considered worse than the death sentence. Too bad CW is apparently not of that same frame of mind, and CM seems the cowardly type too, although maybe a death sentence will be applied even though taking many years to occur.

Well, I think the major difference is that Keyes had no problem admitting he was a murderer. Although he seemed to enjoy sharing all the brutal details of his crime with investigators, he was preoccupied with the fear that his young daughter would one day find out about the horrible things he did. Although he showed no remorse, he just couldn't bear the shame he would cause to his child.

Whereas Merritt doesn't seem to care about anyone but himself.
Imo

 

[mrjitty]

I know this pattern well, and there's something terrifying about this "showing of himself". In fact, it's done to terrify. In my case, the abuser is viewed by virtually everyone who knows him almost as a saint, all the while overtly showing his evil side to me and a couple other people. We are the crazy ones. We are the bad ones. And most people, sad to say, are totally taken in.

RSBM

This is exactly what my sociopath is like. We always tiptoed around because of the sudden rages and anger. Everything bad he did was always my fault. People always told me that it would work out if only I sat down with sociopath to work through the issues. No one could understand because sociopath was such a great guy.

Once I thought sociopath had gone on prozac because for 6 months he was super nice. Later I realised that is the version of him everyone else knows. I just had never seen it before. One time I even observed sociopath pull his abusive behaviour on someone else. It was such an eye opener - how cruel he was.

I am sure it was like this for Summer.

 

[mrjitty]

I did a really interesting exercise with his February 2010 interview. I separated out all the parts where he is talking about lunch at CFA, and all the other parts where he is narrating every other time he interacted with anyone, from Joey to Dan to Susan to Mike. What is interesting is that you won't find anywhere in his narration about CFA a "he said" or "I said" statement. That is how he narrates, as evidenced in all the other examples. What he says about CFA repeatedly is "we went over" xyz.

I didn't post it because it's not 100% evidence they didn't meet, it could be a/ they didn't meet or b/ they met and he can't reveal what was said.

But it does show, IMO, he was lying about what he said happened. Add that to there being no evidence they met and the reason IMO that Joey fatefully let him in the house later. Coincidentally once it had turned dark outside.

JMO

Yes that is fascinating isn't it.

I commented about this before in relation to staging. The killer usually forgets to write any dialogue for the victim.

 

[Tortoise]

Yes that is fascinating isn't it.

I commented about this before in relation to staging. The killer usually forgets to write any dialogue for the victim.

I don't know if it's forgetting or if it's because it would be very hard to lie with conviction and fluency about someone else's words without any tell tale signs and getting it wrong later if you have to repeat it to someone else, particularly over what was supposed to have spanned 2 hours.

 

[QueenBofOB]

I think Merritt was poisoning him, not to kill him but to make him weak.

JMO

I've ALWAYS though that. The minute I started investigating and reading up on all of the possible perps--DK, SM's ex-boyfriend, JM's ex-wife's new husband. Once I found out about Merritt being a twice convicted felon, with an outstanding warrant, all the pieces of the puzzle started to go together.
And yeah, McGyver hanging around would've put a stop to any murders. JM being weakened by poisoning, SM too small and not physically strong enough to be a threat, the kids too young. But, another adult to kill, would've been too complicated.

 

[citygirl]

BBM.... but is it? I've been busy the last few days so haven't had much time to read or research but it seems to me that if he gets the death penalty, everything is automatic, and I'm guessing the State pays for those first few appeals and his lawyers? If he gets life, does he still get that? It also appears that in California, it takes forever, I doubt that it's any quicker when the sentence is life opposed to the death penalty, so really.... what is the difference, other than the death penalty seems to be automatic and probably paid for? It's unfortunate that the process isn't quicker for all involved, especially the families, it will not be over for a long time....

From the link that @Meemaw12 shared about Westerfield...

Danielle’s mother, Brenda van Dam, strongly criticized the slow-motion appeals process for her daughter’s killer.

“We believe that the appeals are frivolous and without merit, and are unnecessarily dragging this case out,” van Damn said in a statement to NBC 7. “There was a full and complete legal defense presented by his qualified attorneys at trial, which put our family and all of San Diego through the ringer. It's time for the jury's verdict to be honored and justice given to Danielle.”

I don't think it has anything to do with app

I've ALWAYS though that. The minute I started investigating and reading up on all of the possible perps--DK, SM's ex-boyfriend, JM's ex-wife's new husband. Once I found out about Merritt being a twice convicted felon, with an outstanding warrant, all the pieces of the puzzle started to go together.
And yeah, McGyver hanging around would've put a stop to any murders. JM being weakened by poisoning, SM too small and not physically strong enough to be a threat, the kids too young. But, another adult to kill, would've been too complicated.

I was always struck by the fact that when asking Merritt how much Joseph weighed he almost stepped in it.

 

[Mony Mony]

I've ALWAYS though that. The minute I started investigating and reading up on all of the possible perps--DK, SM's ex-boyfriend, JM's ex-wife's new husband. Once I found out about Merritt being a twice convicted felon, with an outstanding warrant, all the pieces of the puzzle started to go together.
And yeah, McGyver hanging around would've put a stop to any murders. JM being weakened by poisoning, SM too small and not physically strong enough to be a threat, the kids too young. But, another adult to kill, would've been too complicated.

cm wanted Joey's $$, business, etc. Reminds me of a claim jumper. Fitting since cm was always digging for gold.

 

[asyousay]

Out of interest can Chase still write a book and profit from these murders?

 

[Edmo]

Never heard about any polygraph results involving CM.

I read on another website that he failed it miserably, so who knows? In his mind, taking a Poly probably eased his mind thinking he had passed.