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McSTAY FAMILY: California vs. Chase Merritt for 2010 murder of family *GUILTY*
- Thread starter GrandmaBear
- Start date
After following that trial very closely, that's the only case where I'm not completely sure they got the right guy. I can't say they didn't, either.
Guess Who
Well-known member
yep
Guess Who
Well-known member
it's more about who they didn't investigate that had a lot more at stake than the person they did investigate. This same person is who told them a story about why he thought the business partner did it.
OT..Joseph's business partner was arrested & concvicted however the evidence presented at trial left a LOT of reasonable doubt, IMO. Also, LE didn't investigate any other persons of interest that could have a motive, ie Dan Kavanaugh, etc.
Wow. I don’t know the players. That’s kind of sad. Y’all believe investigators messed up? Who was Dan Kavanaugh? Did he have an alibi? Why did they focus only on the business partner? What does the McStays family members believe? Can he appeal and can they use dna or something?
Cousin Dupree
Keep Others Safe
Dan Kavanaugh is the best suspect, IMO.
Cousin Dupree
Keep Others Safe
Dan Kavanaugh was the IT man for Joseph's website. Joseph wanted to fire him and he went bat dung crazy sending threatening emails and such. They finally reached an agreement. IIRC, the day the McStays disappeared was the day DK and Joseph were going to finalize the deal. He claimed to have been in Hawaii and the cops just bought that and didn't investigate further. The defense did investigate it and found evidence that DK was actually in the SD area around the time of the murders. Merritt doesn't have any violence in his past. DK was caught trying to rape an ex-girlfriend and doing something else to a woman. It's believed Summer was raped by the evidence. There were four unidentified DNA profiles on her bra that the police never tested. They took Merritt in and ignored all of the evidence pointing to anyone else.
@Kimster can we make a new McStay thread? It really sucks that we lost all of that in the breakdown.
Created a new McStay family thread from an ongoing conversation from another case thread.
The McStays were an American family found murdered in the desert near Victorville, California, on November 13, 2013. The McStays had disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, on February 4, 2010.[1][2] Their disappearance was widely reported on national news stations and on America's Most Wanted, Disappeared, Nancy Grace, and Unsolved Mysteries.[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.[3] The trial began on January 7, 2019, in San Bernardino, California.[4] On June 10, 2019, a San Bernardino County jury found Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family. He was sentenced to death on January 21, 2020.[5]
from Wikipedia
The McStays were an American family found murdered in the desert near Victorville, California, on November 13, 2013. The McStays had disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, on February 4, 2010.[1][2] Their disappearance was widely reported on national news stations and on America's Most Wanted, Disappeared, Nancy Grace, and Unsolved Mysteries.[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.[3] The trial began on January 7, 2019, in San Bernardino, California.[4] On June 10, 2019, a San Bernardino County jury found Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family. He was sentenced to death on January 21, 2020.[5]
from Wikipedia
Cousin Dupree
Keep Others Safe
I think the PD got an honor for how they solved the McStay case even before the trial started.
Freebird
Active member
The Innocence Project needs to look at this case.
Freebird
Active member
There was quite a bit (tens of thousands) of dollars in California Unclaimed Funds that was claimed. Was this ever investigated? Who claimed the money? Follow the money.
Cousin Dupree
Keep Others Safe
I wonder what is going on with the documentary and appeal.
Guess Who
Well-known member
I am not ready to call him innocent yet not convinced he isn't. 100% convinced that there is somebody else involved even more than he is IF CM is guilty of anything at all.
What To Know About The McStay Family Murders Case Before ‘Killer Motive’ Premiere | Oxygen
A happy, successful couple with two young sons couldn't just vanish into thin air — right?
Charles Chase Merritt Was the Only Solid Suspect in the McStay Family Murders
As depicted in Oxygen's 'Killer Motive,' Charles Chase Merritt was convicted of the McStay family murders after a few years, but where is he now?
Did anybody catch the show?
The full episode is available here with a TV provider login: The McStay Family Mystery
The full episode is available here with a TV provider login: The McStay Family Mystery
Cousin Dupree
Keep Others Safe
Thanks!
Cousin Dupree
Keep Others Safe
American Greed just had an episode about this. They did give out some of the defense theories, but otherwise pretty much followed the prosecution's theory. One thing they mentioned that I found particularly interesting is about Summer's bra cup with three different unidentified DNA samples on it. They mention that Summer's DNA isn't on it. That's raises an interesting question about that defense.