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

[Edmo]

yep, you made me google map it haha

I think when it says "from a direction pointing to the south" it means the cell phone was pointing south of the tower in Oro Grande.

The prosecution better have a spectacular exhibit to show all of these towers and where the phone supposedly was!

South would be where the gravesites were discovered, IMO. Why would he go to Oro Grande? Isn't that where his sister lived at the time?

 

[Edmo]

Like I said, we really need to be careful with the "turning off" and "no activity". There is a difference.

Again from preliminary hearing:

Q Turning your attention to February 6th, 2010, Saturday,
what did your analysis reveal on that day?
A The first phone activity is at 10:46 A.M. It contacts a
tower in the Victorville area near Interstate 15.
The next activity is at 11:30 A.M., and continuing
through 11:52 A.M, contacts the cell tower in the Oro Grande
area just north of Victorville in the High Desert, near
Interstate 15.
11:53 A.M., contacts a cell tower a little bit to the
south, back up near Victorville.
THE COURT: What time was that?
THE WITNESS: 11:53.
And 12:49 P.M., contacts a cell tower in the Victorville
area.
And then at 1:30 P.M., has contact with the cell tower in
the Oro Grande area, again from a direction pointing to the
south in that case.

This is the only information that we have for now about towers and times. Since it's from a court hearing, it should be more reliable than most news stories or blogs haha

If you want to read it all together it can be found on this page:
State of California VS Charles Ray Merritt: Part Three - Transcript of Charles Merritt Preliminary

Turning off vs No Activity: I know there are many dead spots in So Calif, for a fact. When I worked patrol, there were several dead spots in our county where our radios would not work. You had to use a payphone in order to be in contact with dispatch. These areas were usually due to mountain ranges that blocked signals and we were unable to have radio contact. VERY dangerous for LE.

In fact, our county has 'upgraded' it's communications to the tunes of millions of dollars recently. I can see where cell phones also experience the same type of blockage.

 

[QueenBofOB]

YES it was a long weekend! Thanks for that reminder! Being that it was the last day of the long weekend, what would traffic be like? I guess there wouldn't be work rush hour traffic, but would there be 'people going home after a long weekend' traffic?

So, there were lots of options for him to get back to the Corona area or wherever he was, but could it all be done between 7:30 and 1:30 that day? Looking at the preliminary hearing info, they don't say where he was at 7:30am that morning.

I think it would be a fairly quick trip. Also, remember back in 2010, it was still the height of the recession. There wasn't much traffic on the freeways at all. So, even if it wasn't a long weekend, there still weren't that many people driving around.

 

[Edmo]

Here is a question... if he shut off his phone on the 4th to go to kill them, and he shut it off on the 8th to take the Trooper down to the border, why wouldn't he have shut it off on the 6th when he buried them? Just forgot?

Because he thought he had gotten away with it and they would never be discovered, IMO.

 

[Funky funky]

hmmm wasn't it Mike that said he would wait, maybe they took some extra days for a holiday because it was the long weekend? Interesting lol

Anyone else have the problem of missing posts when they are replying to others? the last few days I have to refresh and then go back or I miss a chunk of them. Weird. I have just gone back because I realized I missed some!

It was super bowl weekend. The Super Bowl was 7th. Not sure if it’s a big holiday over there but it’s a big/long weekend?

 

[Tortoise]

Where was the storage facility he had which Joe Sequeida said he didn't have space in his trailer to help him with, the one that contained columns or pillars and proforma fountains?

Answering my own question with a suggestion for its location - Pomona.

I keep seeing that on the phone records and I don't know what the relevance is. It's close enough to Azusa to be a place he might have asked Sequeida to stop by when he was emptying his other storage with the trailer. His phone was there on the afternoon of the 4th.

 

[Funky funky]

I believe we will either see a Guilty verdict, or a hung jury. Imagine if they decide a hung jury? This case will take years if that happens, IMO

I’m going with hung jury or not guilty unfortunately, but that’s only based on the trail so far....I hope I’m wrong!

 

[Force Ten]

From this post?
CA - Joey, Summer, Gianni, Joseph Jr McStay Murders - Feb 4th 2010 #4

Yes

 

[Funky funky]

I think it would be a fairly quick trip. Also, remember back in 2010, it was still the height of the recession. There wasn't much traffic on the freeways at all. So, even if it wasn't a long weekend, there still weren't that many people driving around.

Especially if a lot of people were watching the super bowl.

 

[missy1974]

Turning off vs No Activity: I know there are many dead spots in So Calif, for a fact. When I worked patrol, there were several dead spots in our county where our radios would not work. You had to use a payphone in order to be in contact with dispatch. These areas were usually due to mountain ranges that blocked signals and we were unable to have radio contact. VERY dangerous for LE.

In fact, our county has 'upgraded' it's communications to the tunes of millions of dollars recently. I can see where cell phones also experience the same type of blockage.

uhhh don't say that! LOL I was wondering about that actually, with all the mountains around the area's. I noticed the defense brought up drive test data with the phone dude, t-mobile one I think, the one that Merritt had. A google search brings up lots of info, basically it's testing all the towers.

 

[missy1974]

Answering my own question with a suggestion for its location - Pomona.

I keep seeing that on the phone records and I don't know what the relevance is. It's close enough to Azusa to be a place he might have asked Sequeida to stop by when he was emptying his other storage with the trailer. His phone was there on the afternoon of the 4th.

Where did Chase live? What city? All these cities, I'm getting confused LOL I thought I just read something recently about Pomona and Cathy, but can't find where I read it now LOL

 

[Tssiemer]

Rancho Cucamonga

 

[Tssiemer]

Where did Chase live? What city? All these cities, I'm getting confused LOL I thought I just read something recently about Pomona and Cathy, but can't find where I read it now LOL

Rancho Cucamonga

 

[missy1974]

Rancho Cucamonga

Thank you! I thought so, but was second guessing myself LOL I *think* I read that Jarvis worked in Ponoma, but I can't seem to find anything now and can't remember where I read it!

 

[Edmo]

Where did Chase live? What city? All these cities, I'm getting confused LOL I thought I just read something recently about Pomona and Cathy, but can't find where I read it now LOL

Pomona is WEST of Rancho Cucamonga, but not that far from it either. Both cities are basically on the 'other' side of the mountains from Victorville. They are about a 30-40 minute drive to the gravesites, IMO.

 

[katydid23]

The 1 1/2 hour lunch break is a joke.

MOO

That's what I said to my attorney brother. But he made a good case for the 1 and a half lunch. He has done trials with 45 min lunches, hour long lunches and hour and a half.

He said that in an intense trial, with a lot of data and complicated evidence, the jury needs a long break. He says it takes them about 15 minutes , to wash up and use the restroom right after the break. Then it takes awhile to order lunch, or be transported to a close place to eat.

In a high profile murder case, the judge usually wants them to stay together and with a bailiff during lunch time. Not all do, but I wonder if this judge does?

Anyway, they usually have to wait a bit for their food to arrive, and then eating for the 12 to 14 of them takes 45 more minutes. They need to decompress and relax a bit. So now it has been about an hour and 15 minutes.

So they have 15 left to wash up and use the facilities and clear their minds, and then get ready for the afternoon testimonies.

I think my bro might be right. The jurors might need that break. Members here have said that they can only watch for so long, it is so annoying, all the bickering etc. The jurors are right there and cannot escape it.

 

[geevee]

I totally agree with this. I don't think the Trooper was at the house because he left the dogs outside and I think he was hoping neighbors would report that so that he wouldn't have to be the one to report them missing.

If police turned up to abandoned dogs and two cars still there they'd know immediately the family hadn't voluntarily disappeared.

It only adds to my belief that Joey was killed before he got home.

I think he was killed before he got home as well, not only the truck not being at the house during Mitchley's video but the way he was wrapped up - enshrouded in a blanket, an extension cord wrapped around his waist as well as neck and tied to the red strap.

That seems done for more movement than to get him in the back of CM's truck and then roll him out and dump him in a grave. Chase may have been strong but dead weight is just that, Joey would have been hard to get from one place to another by himself without rigging something like what was done to Joey.

 

[katydid23]

The DNA in the Trooper...I was going to comment about this yesterday...

McGee in his OS had a pretty good explanation of it and I'm sure we will see it at some time in the trial. If it's transfer DNA....

He shakes Merritt's hand with his right hand... he then goes to the truck... which hand does he open the door with? Which hand do you open the door with? Personally, on the drivers door, I open the door with my left hand (my daughter says she uses her right ... I'm going to watch her sometime and see haha) He gets in the driver seat, touches the gear shift, touches the steering wheel, might touch the other control's when he first gets in. IIRC he was a minor contributor on the steering wheel and trace on the gear shift and controls (they couldn't tell which exactly because it was a collective swab, not separate swabs taken).

So I'm curious to everyone.... which hand do you open the drivers door with?

I use my right hand for the passenger door, but my left for the drivers door lol


ETA: my son just came home, I asked him... he uses his left hand. My husband isn't sure and he refuses to go outside and report back to me because it's minus stupid here LOL

I open my drivers side door with my right. But it is an old explorer and has a heavy door. I can open my sons brand new Izuzu with my left hand. I just did so yesterday because my grand baby was being carried in my right arm.

 

[geevee]

This is exactly what I thought, when I first started investigating the family's disappearance--that JM never made it home that day, after the lunch meeting. Then Summer and the children were either abducted or killed in the home, by CM. As far as how CM got back, from the border, there are many, many options. Greyhound has a bus depot right there, within walking distance of where the Trooper was parked. There's SD Trolley (which he could've ridden to Amtrak or taken a city bus to the airport, then flown to Ontario which is 3.5mi from R.Cucamonga) and also a couple of buses that cater to Latino's, like TRES ESTRELLAS DE ORO, FRONTERAS DEL NORTE and INTERCALIFORNIAS, I'm fairly certain they have stops in Northern SD county, Riverside and L.A. Was 2/8/2010 President's Day? I've tried to look it up, but can't find it. That would mean less traffic that day. I find it very "interesting," how CM has stated numerous times, that he "was definitely the LAST person, to see JM." It's as though he is putting out a clue and mocking LE to try to come up with something. And IF JM was his "best friend," why wasn't there any sadness or wistfulness, during his LE or CNN interviews?
It will be very interesting to see what CJ has to say on the stand. Although, she's probably as much of a con artist as her sleazy ex-boyfriend.

It would be just as easy for CM to have CJ follow him in his truck to the border and leave his truck in an overnight parking lot and have her drive him back home (with whatever story about why he was doing such). Then the next day he drives the trooper down and dumps it, walks over to the lot where his truck is and drives back home.

CJ covered for him on the night of the 4th (before changing her story) and also when CM called during his interview when he, after all the minute details he gave them about every little thing yet couldn't remember what he did for an entire day just 2 weeks later.

 

[geevee]

I think he made two trips to the graves.

I've been trying to work out why and I think it's possible he couldn't fit two adult bodies in the back of his truck. As Summer's body wasn't wrapped up I think it makes sense she was in some sort of container or case that would contain the spread of blood/fluids. A large container would be quite bulky and I think it's possible he couldn't fit Joey's wrapped up body in there at the same time, particularly if it was say in rigor mortis in a non-straight position.

So he figured he would have to dig two graves so that he wouldn't have to leave one grave open with the potential for discovery or animal activity, while he went back to collect the second adult body. With two graves it made sense to keep them as small as possible (less digging) and put one child in with each adult. So he split up the 'job' for want of a better word.

I like this theory.