CA - Joey, Summer, Gianni, Joseph Jr McStay Murders - Feb 4th 2010 #14

[missy1974]

*BANGING HEAD* This is ridiculous! What trial takes a 2 week break?? Will watch for her updates on the hearing this morning.

Cathy Russon‏ @cathyrusson
#McStay - Court was supposed to be back in session tomorrow after over a week off, however a hearing was held this morning (I'll tweet those details in a moment), the only witness the defense had this week is Mike McStay and he will be short. Judge delays trial until April 3rd.

 

[Mony Mony]

I do think there was blood. I also believe the family was killed in the home on the 4th. I have a suspicion Summer and the boys were killed in the bathroom. Not sure where Joey was murdered. The location of the murder is irrelevant to me. The baby was found with the bath towel. There was painters tape in the grave. MOO

 

[Mony Mony]

The defense's case is imploding.

 

[mrjitty]

Remember when McGee & Maline were whining about the prosecution witness scheduling?

LMAO

 

[Karinna]

*BANGING HEAD* This is ridiculous! What trial takes a 2 week break?? Will watch for her updates on the hearing this morning.

Cathy Russon‏ @cathyrusson
#McStay - Court was supposed to be back in session tomorrow after over a week off, however a hearing was held this morning (I'll tweet those details in a moment), the only witness the defense had this week is Mike McStay and he will be short. Judge delays trial until April 3rd.

Not surprised really. Wasn't it something to do with Microsoft in the next short half day? hearing, and then nothing until the 3rd. April?
Niner just posted it up a little while ago.

 

[mrjitty]

*BANGING HEAD* This is ridiculous! What trial takes a 2 week break??

One where the defence is too incompetent to have its witnesses ready despite having had years to prepare?

But I agree.

The Judge should tell them to produce their witnesses or rest.

 

[mrjitty]

Not surprised really. Wasn't it something to do with Microsoft in the next short half day? hearing, and then nothing until the 3rd. April?
Niner just posted it up a little while ago.

This is pure tomfoolery

The defence is wasting the Courts time

 

[Tortoise]

The issue of no blood at the house is just another smoke screen IMO.

If they were killed there he obviously cleaned up.

Most of those head injuries would have been sustained near ground level if we assume the victims fell to the ground with the first blow. It's very unlikely there would have been blood on the walls or the ceilings, there is no arterial bleeding from a head wound, the first injury would take just as much time to bleed as it takes to collapse probably, and then unless the rest of the blows are directed on top of the site of the first blow each new blow is a separate impact not causing spatter in the blood seeping from the first site, and I believe seepage is probably therefore the correct description, not spatter. How easy is it to clean bathroom floors? Why assume anything on the counters above waist height would be spattered with blood if the injuries were sustained inches above ground level?

Merritt could very easily have called Joey to see something in the downstairs bathroom next to the office and clunked him over the head, then called Summer in to say Joey's collapsed and done exactly the same to her.

It's a mistake to think there would have been blood throughout the house. It's what the defense would like everyone to believe because they have a vested interest in not having it happen there. But just ask yourself why it matters to them, if Merritt wasn't there?

JMO

 

[mrjitty]

The issue of no blood at the house is just another smoke screen IMO.

If they were killed there he obviously cleaned up.

Most of those head injuries would have been sustained near ground level if we assume the victims fell to the ground with the first blow. It's very unlikely there would have been blood on the walls or the ceilings, there is no arterial bleeding from a head wound, the first injury would take just as much time to bleed as it takes to collapse probably, and then unless the rest of the blows are directed on top of the site of the first blow each new blow is a separate impact not causing spatter in the blood seeping from the first site, and I believe seepage is probably therefore the correct description, not spatter. How easy is it to clean bathroom floors? Why assume anything on the counters above waist height would be spattered with blood if the injuries were sustained inches above ground level?

Merritt could very easily have called Joey to see something in the downstairs bathroom next to the office and clunked him over the head, then called Summer in to say Joey's collapsed and done exactly the same to her.

We might expect some castoff though? Although after crime scene staging, painting and 4 years later it could be hard to find.

It's a mistake to think there would have been blood throughout the house. It's what the defense would like everyone to believe because they have a vested interest in not having it happen there. But just ask yourself why it matters to them, if Merritt wasn't there?

JMO

Agreed - its one of those things where their attention to it shows the sensitivity.

Why does it matter how DK did it?

This is the same reason I think they did fight over the debt and provecho

 

[Karinna]

I've seen this same thing about lack of blood in other blunt force trauma cases.

I'm trying to remember ( I'm old ya know so please be kind if I'm all wrong) lol but aren't they called contra coo or concave injuries or something like?

Anyway its when blunt force injuries were sustained when the skull, brain cavity, and brain suffers crushing inward blunt force trauma instead of releasing much blood outwardly.

The sledgehammer would leave inward impact crushing injuries with very little blood let on the outside. Imo

Imo

I think so too Ocean. It would certainly depend on the force and distribution of the blows to the head. Kinetic energy i think is what they refer to?
I did find this article on forensics about it
(quote)
Blunt force trauma is - as its name would suggest - a severe traumatic episode caused to the body or head with the sudden introduction of a blunt instrument used with great force.This can sometimes be caused by an attacker striking out at a victim with their hands, a large piece of wood, a baseball bat or other such item that would cause heavy damage to the body or skull if impacted against them quickly.

Blunt force trauma is something that is also experienced during a car accident, especially if the individuals involved are not wearing seatbelts and are catapulted forward at speed against the dashboard, steering wheel or indeed the rear of the driver and front passenger's seats.

Blunt force trauma can also be inflicted without a great many visual indicators. A great number of individuals who die from this condition do so because of the internal injuries they have received, which may result in nothing more than some exterior bruising.
Blunt Force Trauma

 

[Mica]

Added to the portal yesterday..

• 03/25/2019 Motion Filed
  
  Comment
  Non-Party Microsoft Corporation's Motion To Quash Defenandants Subpoena Duces Tecum
  
  
• 03/25/2019 Motion
  
  Comment
  Declaration Of Amanda Murray In Support Of Non Party Microsoft Corporation Motion To Quash Defendants Subpoena Duces Tecum
  

 

[Mony Mony]

The defense wants us to believe that the blood splatter would be like that scene from The Shining with the wave of blood flowing through the hallway.

 

[Karinna]

The defense wants us to believe that the blood splatter would be like that scene from The Shining with the wave of blood flowing through the hallway.

Yes, if the visual of that expert upthread is any indicator of what the DT want to show in court?

 

[mrjitty]

Seriously though @Tortoise my wild speculation is he put bags on their heads, or maybe put a plastic sheet over Summer and he kids. Then no spatter/castoff.

This was actually shown in The Wire to contain gunshot spray

Perhaps the more interesting aspect is how he kept them quiet. I think Joey was incapacitated in a blitz attack with the others upstairs

 

[Tortoise]

This is the same reason I think they did fight over the debt and provecho

What do you mean, the Provecho nonsense is to remove his motive?

 

[Karinna]

Seriously though @Tortoise my wild speculation is he put bags on their heads, or maybe put a plastic sheet over Summer and he kids. Then no spatter/castoff.

This was actually shown in The Wire to contain gunshot spray

Perhaps the more interesting aspect is how he kept them quiet. I think Joey was incapacitated in a blitz attack with the others upstairs

I have thought he might have used a gun to subdue the victims, and perhaps the electric wire/cord that was found on JM in the grave was used initially to tie at least one victim to a chair. I think he killed Summer and the babies first. And then got to Joey after that, IMO.

 

[Tortoise]

Seriously though @Tortoise my wild speculation is he put bags on their heads, or maybe put a plastic sheet over Summer and he kids. Then no spatter/castoff.

This was actually shown in The Wire to contain gunshot spray

Perhaps the more interesting aspect is how he kept them quiet. I think Joey was incapacitated in a blitz attack with the others upstairs

If they're taken by complete surprise with a massive whack to the head I don't suppose they would have time to scream. IMO

 

[Karinna]

If they're taken by complete surprise with a massive whack to the head I don't suppose they would have time to scream. IMO

That's true if they were taken by surprise? I remember from reading about the autopsy report that JM had a fractured tibia, and fractured ribs. So he got a trauma to his chest and leg as well as his skull.

 

[missy1974]

One where the defence is too incompetent to have its witnesses ready despite having had years to prepare?

But I agree.

The Judge should tell them to produce their witnesses or rest.

The Judge has been extremely lenient and understanding about witnesses not being available when the court is ready for them, including the State's witnesses. Just a reminder that we waited a week to hear Luscio because he was also unavailable. It's been frustrating and the reason that L&C pulled their cam's out of this trial after trying to go back.

I do recall hearing it somewhere along the way in the last few weeks that the days off are a combination of lawyer schedules and juror's needing days off. I think it's just a whole bunch of things combining that makes it impossible to make it work when they are already working with extremely short days/weeks. I'm not sure how productive a half day this week would be either... and IIRC it would have just been Michael McStay, because he wasn't available until this week either.

 

[missy1974]

I could believe that there was a clean up if the house wasn't dirty. But every room, in the pictures, there were clothes, newspapers, painters tape, etc. the floors were dirty. None of that showed signs of "blood". The bathroom... the bathtubs, and shower were dirty still. There was just no signs to me that there was a "clean up" done. Most photo's were taken after the family already did a bit of clean up... so investigators actually even went through the garbage and recycling bins as well. Still no signs of blood on anything. We learned that the new owners only painted the downstairs bathroom (which I believe was just a toilet/sink), so there was not a lot repainted between 2010 and 2014 when they went back. If plastic was used or something over their heads, I would have expected to see that in the graves IMO.