Closing Arguments- Chase Merritt Charged W/Murder of Joseph, Summer, Gianni and Joe Jr McStay #2

[Mony Mony]

6 to 9 months in Southern California? Not very likely. Lol

IMO, Maline and McGee would not want to do the retrial. Any new lawyers would need some time to get up to speed.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

6 to 9 months in Southern California? Not very likely. Lol

Lol! Your right. This is in CA! I was trying hard to forget where its being tried. Lol

Imo

 

[BradB]

CM will eventually wind up behind bars even if he skates by here.

 

[Force Ten]

4 0'clock. Likely no verdict today.

 

[Mony Mony]

4 0'clock. Likely no verdict today.

I am curious as to what will happen if we get a verdict late in the day and the two hour delay for the reading of the verdict.

 

[Frankie Hellis]

I am curious as to what will happen if we get a verdict late in the day and the two hour delay for the reading of the verdict.

They will probably announce there is a verdict and it will be read in the AM.

 

[UndiscoveredTruth]

Cathy Russon‏ @cathyrusson 2m2 minutes ago
#McStay - Jurors are going home after day 3 of deliberations without a verdict. They've deliberated roughly 14 hours.

 

[lonetraveler]

Hi Blondie. Its nice you are joining us.

Its infuriating to me too that one lone holdout can throw the case upside down causing it to be retried all over again.

At one time some state's allowed a majority vote rule, but only in the sentencing phase. Example: Joe Smith who was a pedophile...kidnapped, raped, and murdered 12 year old Carlie Bruisha in Florida, I may have her last name misspelled.

Anyway the guilt phase in all states have to be unanimous. However, until the USSC struck it down.. the sentence only had to be a majority vote in states who had enacted that law. A pastor was the foreman on the Smith case. He and others voted 10 to 2 for death, and he was sent to death row.

Now both phases in any trial must be unanimous in all states. If not unanimous in a death penalty trial the defendant is sentenced to LWOP when found guilty during the guilt phase.

At one time judges who presided over bench trials could also impose the death penalty if they felt that was the proper sentence. That rule has changed too by the USSC. Now all death penalty trials must always be decided by a jury trial in both phases. Only all 12 jurors can recommend death.

It's a strange rule imo especially when the USSC Justices themselves decide all cases before them based on a majority vote...not unanimously.

It's terrible to know only one individual can hijack a case, and hold justice hostage from victims receiving timely justice.

Hope this helps some.

Imo

I totally agree with everything you just posted.

 

[missy1974]

I didn’t phrase things carefully. Many things were part of the case, but did not make their way into the trial. If the jury members are at all conscientious and truthful, they will not know these things, and will not learn about them during the trial and deliberations. Those things will not influence the verdict.

I wanted to double-check that the supposed crossing the border into Mexico was one of these non-issues—something that even the defense didn’t want to bring into the trial.

The border crossing video was mentioned numerous times, I do not recall that the video itself was actually introduced into evidence. Just off the top of my head, IIRC, Susan and Mike were asked about it, McGyver was asked about it, Dugal was definitely asked about it. SB LEO's were maybe asked about it, but more for the timing of it, what time of day was it, what time did Dugal have pulled, etc., I recall them being asked those questions, but can't recall if that was limited to the stores around there or the stores and the border.

So IMO, the jurors will know about the border video, will know of it's existence, will know that some family thought it was them, some thought it was some of them. Dugal didn't know if it was them or not, said something like he didn't know them, he was relying on the family to tell him and IIRC he said the mothers did think it was them.

 

[Chelly]

Let it be tomorrow.

 

[citygirl]

Cathy Russon‏ @cathyrusson 2m2 minutes ago
#McStay - Jurors are going home after day 3 of deliberations without a verdict. They've deliberated roughly 14 hours.

They are killing me.
I want to hear that they are in deliberations tomorrow at 9 o'clock, and if no verdict at the end of the day, then 9 o'clock on Friday . This is serious business. The judge needs to rein this in. It's not a DUI. It's not a walk in the park. This family needs justice one way or another. MOO.

 

[Timekeeper65]

I haven't seen any proof that it wasn't the family crossing the border, perhaps the SDSD was correct in the first place.

The proof is the fact the McStay Family was buried in the desert.

 

[LadyL]

It’s the same folks who brought us Rebecca Zahau’s “suicide.” In drama, putting aside doubt or skepticism and accepting something illogical for the sake of the story is called “willing suspension of disbelief.” Suspending one’s critical thinking has no place in an LE investigation.

wish I had an applause emoji

 

[LadyL]

This verdict has to be unanimous, is that because it’s capital murder? Why not a majority or is that only for lesser charges?
The fact that 1 hold out could end in a not guilty verdict is worrying, if the one hold out refuses to change their mind then the other 11 votes mean nothing and he walks free? Am I getting that right?

nope then it's a hung jury and they retry him

ETA: I see others already answered you. I'm behind. Sorry.

 

[LadyL]

Did Chase Merritt murder the McStay family?
This poll will close on Jun 17, 2019 at 7:34 AM.

1. *
   Guilty
   140 vote(s)
   92.1%
2. 
   Not Guilty
   12 vote(s)
   7.9%
   

POLL - Did Chase Merritt murder the McStay family?

 

[MsFacetious]

They will probably announce there is a verdict and it will be read in the AM.

Oh hell no. They cannot even do that.

Hopefully if the jury reaches a verdict around 4pm, they go home and sleep on it. Then vote again in the morning and announce it then.

It would be cruel and unusual punishment for the families to say "we have a verdict but you have to wait 18 hours to hear it."

NO WAY.

 

[mom2chloe]

Oh hell no. They cannot even do that.

Hopefully if the jury reaches a verdict around 4pm, they go home and sleep on it. Then vote again in the morning and announce it then.

It would be cruel and unusual punishment for the families to say "we have a verdict but you have to wait 18 hours to hear it."

NO WAY.

I hope CM enjoys every good nights sleep he has prior to them announcing a verdict! Then I can’t wait to see him sweat bullets like he did once arrested! Patiently awaiting a verdict and praying for justice!

 

[minusfour]

Sweating it out in Tasmania for this verdict.

 

[Mony Mony]

Oh hell no. They cannot even do that.

Hopefully if the jury reaches a verdict around 4pm, they go home and sleep on it. Then vote again in the morning and announce it then.

It would be cruel and unusual punishment for the families to say "we have a verdict but you have to wait 18 hours to hear it."

NO WAY.

I thought the same too. Then I thought, "night night, Chase, sleep tight"

 

[Paulette]

I think if the verdict comes in at 4pm, the judge will have it read - that is unless he wants to beat the traffic to wherever he lives (just kidding). It has to be read at the time it's delivered.