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

[Emi]

Cathy Russon on Twitter
Cathy Russon‏ @cathyrusson 30s31 seconds ago
#McStay - We have been let back in the courtroom. DuGal continues under cross examination. Nothing said in open court about what just happened.

 

[ehenson88]

I can just hear the defense’s closing argument now, they’ll ask the jury why would anyone do such a thing and then lie to others about it, unless they were attempting to conceal or destroy evidence.

I think they thought they were coming back - I mean it's pretty hard for anyone to instantly assume foul play when an entire family of 4 disappears. Mike was probably trying to get into his email to see if he could find out if they were on vacation or something.

 

[Texas Red]

I sure hope we don't have a jury issue already

If that's the case and there's a mistrial let's hope it doesn't take another 4 years to find a new jury.

 

[missy1974]

looking at the pictures... the 'master bedroom'... sheets are on the beds... I thought all the sheets were missing?

 

[Bernina]

CM said JM kept the light on in his office for the kids in case they woke up at night and came down stairs. Wouldn't that mean the family "disappeared" during the night?

 

[Texas Red]

I think they thought they were coming back - I mean it's pretty hard for anyone to instantly assume foul play when an entire family of 4 disappears. Mike was probably trying to get into his email to see if he could find out if they were on vacation or something.

That'll be the prosecution's argument.

 

[SuziQ]

Here is the probable cause statement. Yowza! I had forgotten how up to her eyeballs Catherine Jarvis was. Will she testify? There is more out there. I will post links as I come across them.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAFegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw3yRTM4um_xM16xiB4XIj8e

 

[asyousay]

I think they thought they were coming back - I mean it's pretty hard for anyone to instantly assume foul play when an entire family of 4 disappears. Mike was probably trying to get into his email to see if he could find out if they were on vacation or something.

Sorry that doesn’t wash as why would the family go on vacation in the middle of doing up the house and wasn’t Summer planning a birthday party as well?

Then also why did they not inform a single person they was going away. Joey ran his own business and with that comes commitments so he would of informed DK or Chase.

also do mobile phones stop working when you go on vacation ? I was not aware of this magical gift that when I go on holiday my phone magically stops working!

The cops botched this from the get go and there is no other explanation and if Chase escapes justice it’s on them.

 

[SuziQ]

Ok right. But I just refreshed my memory, and it will be impossible for the defense to convince a jury that Joey wrote that check on the 4th, imo. It was made out to chase merritt. And written in small letters, and is the exact same check as was written and printed out and cashed the next day:



On February 4th, at 7:59, someone (Chase) writes a check to (lower case) “chase merritt” in the amount of $4,000 using Joseph’s Quickbooks account. In the memo line he writes “re Paul Mitchell”. At 8:05 he deletes it. He does not print it. This check was a “dry run” or practice for an almost identical check that was written by Chase the following day.

On February 5th, at 12:06 p.m. Chase Merritt writes a check to (lower case) “chase merritt” for $4,500 using Joseph’s Quickbooks account. In the memo line he writes “re Paul Mitchell” and prints it out then deletes it from Quickbooks. This check is cashed by Chase Merritt at a Union Bank at 12:38 p.m. Since Chase’s phone has been identified as pinging in Rancho Cucamonga during this time, we know that the Union Bank was the one in Rancho Cucamonga very near Chase’s home. This indicates that Chase is the one that wrote those checks in his home on Church Street in Rancho Cucamonga, the check could not have been created in Fallbrook.

Chase Merritt: Conclusive Evidence

this is a great link. Thank you @katydid23

 

[katydid23]

My question is why does Chase need to do a dry run as he had already done this on the 2nd so it seems strange he would need a dry run?

Maybe it wasnt really a dry run. Maybe he wrote out the check, was going to print it, then decided not to for some reason. He decided to do it the next day instead, and deleted it.

 

[Emi]

Cathy Russon on Twitter
Cathy Russon‏ @cathyrusson 34s34 seconds ago
#McStay - Maline asking DuGal why he didn't take more photographs on the 15th. When asked, he said he had a camera in his car but only was a welfare check.

Cathy Russon on Twitter
Cathy Russon‏ @cathyrusson 36s36 seconds ago
#McStay - DuGal said once he cleared the house he didn't have the legal right to leave, go to his car, re-enter the house and take more pics since just a welfare check at that point.

 

[katydid23]

Sorry that doesn’t wash as why would the family go on vacation in the middle of doing up the house and wasn’t Summer planning a birthday party as well?

Then also why did they not inform a single person they was going away. Joey ran his own business and with that comes commitments so he would of informed DK or Chase.

also do mobile phones stop working when you go on vacation ? I was not aware of this magical gift that when I go on holiday my phone magically stops working!

The cops botched this from the get go and there is no other explanation and if Chase escapes justice it’s on them.

The thing is, Joey was known for doing things like that. Taking impulsive vacations, not telling anyone, just taking off.

His business was predominantly online, so he could keep it going from anywhere---if he was alive and well.

So that's why his family wasn't as worried as some might be.

 

[Bernina]

Here is the probable cause statement. Yowza! I had forgotten how up to her eyeballs Catherine Jarvis was. Will she testify? There is more out there. I will post links as I come across them.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAFegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw3yRTM4um_xM16xiB4XIj8e

AWESOME!!!! This is what I was looking for! Thank you!

 

[asyousay]

The thing is, Joey was known for doing things like that. Taking impulsive vacations, not telling anyone, just taking off.

His business was predominantly online, so he could keep it going from anywhere---if he was alive and well.

So that's why his family wasn't as worried as some might be.

So why did neither phone work?

They had kids so what if one of them had gotten sick.

Also yes Joey worked online but I’m sure it was DK who said something was wrong as emails were not being read and he hadn’t checked in. So enough signs to know something was wrong.


Also the dogs being abandoned outside anybody who knew the family knew Summer would NEVER of done that.


Are dogs not allowed to go to Mexico on vacation?

 

[Funky funky]

The thing is, Joey was known for doing things like that. Taking impulsive vacations, not telling anyone, just taking off.

His business was predominantly online, so he could keep it going from anywhere---if he was alive and well.

So that's why his family wasn't as worried as some might be.

And wasn’t it a big weekend, maybe super bowl weekend?

 

[mrjitty]

Well, this is my thinking as well, BUT, there is no indication that the QuickBooks account had a password change. It seems that the program log events, that would be an event to log IMO The moment I found out that someone, anyone, accessed my Quickbooks, the first thing I would do is change my login info.

JM may not have realised QB was accessed because the fraudulent cheques were deleted

This means they don't show up in QB

 

[Emi]

Cathy Russon on Twitter
Cathy Russon‏ @cathyrusson 36s36 seconds ago
#McStay - That's it until tomorrow morning at 9:30am pst.

 

[Penny Parker]

Here is the probable cause statement. Yowza! I had forgotten how up to her eyeballs Catherine Jarvis was. Will she testify? There is more out there. I will post links as I come across them.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAFegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw3yRTM4um_xM16xiB4XIj8e

So CM had a fresh hand injury and referred to JM in the past tense?

 

[la2cabo]

God he was thick (sorry if this offends some posters on here)

The dogs were at the house so what harm would it of done to let them look in the house for 10 mins?

Just seems like pure laziness and a piss poor detective.

Oh those pesky search warrant laws get in the way every time.

 

[mrjitty]

Ok right. But I just refreshed my memory, and it will be impossible for the defense to convince a jury that Joey wrote that check on the 4th, imo. It was made out to chase merritt. And written in small letters, and is the exact same check as was written and printed out and cashed the next day:



On February 4th, at 7:59, someone (Chase) writes a check to (lower case) “chase merritt” in the amount of $4,000 using Joseph’s Quickbooks account. In the memo line he writes “re Paul Mitchell”. At 8:05 he deletes it. He does not print it. This check was a “dry run” or practice for an almost identical check that was written by Chase the following day.

On February 5th, at 12:06 p.m. Chase Merritt writes a check to (lower case) “chase merritt” for $4,500 using Joseph’s Quickbooks account. In the memo line he writes “re Paul Mitchell” and prints it out then deletes it from Quickbooks. This check is cashed by Chase Merritt at a Union Bank at 12:38 p.m. Since Chase’s phone has been identified as pinging in Rancho Cucamonga during this time, we know that the Union Bank was the one in Rancho Cucamonga very near Chase’s home. This indicates that Chase is the one that wrote those checks in his home on Church Street in Rancho Cucamonga, the check could not have been created in Fallbrook.

Chase Merritt: Conclusive Evidence

Exactly

To me this is just mind crashingly clear

It can only be CM who wrote all the deleted cheques

And there is no way he can have been round at the McStays at 7.59pm on the day they happened to be murdered unless he is the killer