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

[Deleted member 192280]

Let's not forget that CM spent years in prison. He very well knows how to "deal" with LE, he even wanted to represent himself in this case as well.

Not a single one of these helps argument one way or another. And by the way, it's a No-No to use past criminal history to argue in favor of someone's guilt, especially when the past crimes were of a different nature. It might help if he had been convicted of murder in the past.

 

[Edmo]

Not a single one of these helps argument one way or another. And by the way, it's a No-No to use past criminal history to argue in favor of someone's guilt, especially when the past crimes were of a different nature. It might help if he had been convicted of murder in the past.

The State has yet to prove their case.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

[QUOTE="Niner, post: 14782061, .[/QUOTE]

For those who may be die hard crime junkies when watching true crime shows how many times have they heard/seen the family members of the missing say at first they tried to convince themselves of rational reasons why their loved ones may have gone missing?

Some took much longer than the McStay family to admit to themselves something had to be wrong and to decide to report them missing.

Imo, it's only human nature to try to find any explanation why a loved one is missing instead of immediately accepting the worst.

IDK how many others have watched for years all of those families who were being interviewed who discussed this very same subject explaining why they didn't immediately expect the worst.

At first they wanted to believe anything, but the worst outcome.

But I can't begin to count how many family members I've seen who thought the very same thing until they no longer could rationalize it away any longer, but it wasn't because they didn't try to do just that....some waited weeks, and some even for months after they went missing. They kept thinking they were going to return and everything would be okay.

Jmo

 

[HelenK]

We don't have that info. Neither phone has been located.

Might they be somewhere in the vicinity of the Bonsall Bridge, as per James Spring's mysterious report? ..........

 

[wary]

I certainly don't want an innocent person to go to prison for life either. It's such a difficult case with so many questionable characters involved. It just makes life harder for detectives involved when theres a bunch of shadyness going on or was...

CM is shady but he did pass a lie detector test early on. It's sad all around.

I’m going to sound like a lawyer trying to have it both ways:

1: I don’t think we know that he passed a lie detector test.

2: Sociopaths are good at passing lie detector tests, even when they’re lying.

 

[HelenK]

I hope the prosecution has a theory about how he got back.

SB has said it knows exactly how he did just that.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I certainly don't want an innocent person to go to prison for life either. It's such a difficult case with so many questionable characters involved. It just makes life harder for detectives involved when theres a bunch of shadyness going on or was...

CM is shady but he did pass a lie detector test early on. It's sad all around.

Did the police or the one who administered the poly ever come out, and validate CMs claims he passed?

I thought he was the only one who said that, but I could be mistaken.

Passing a polygraph reminds me of the Green River serial killer who passed his with flying colors.

One has to have emotions or regrets/remorse for a poly to work, imo

Imo

 

[Funky funky]

I certainly don't want an innocent person to go to prison for life either. It's such a difficult case with so many questionable characters involved. It just makes life harder for detectives involved when theres a bunch of shadyness going on or was...

CM is shady but he did pass a lie detector test early on. It's sad all around.

It hasn’t been confirmed if he did pass the test, it was Chase who claimed he took the test and ‘assumed’ he passed as he never heard anything back from LE at the time. He was also never asked directly if he killed the family according to his interview with CNN

 

[katydid23]

Not a single one of these helps argument one way or another. And by the way, it's a No-No to use past criminal history to argue in favor of someone's guilt, especially when the past crimes were of a different nature. It might help if he had been convicted of murder in the past.

I think he has been accused of Domestic Violence in the past. That is not that much of a different nature. And also of financial crimes, also a similar nature. To me, it just shows what his way of thinking and doing is like.

 

[HelenK]

Thanks for asking... Well, a few days ago I said I wished there was a poll feature here, I asked, do you think CM is guilty, if so do you think he did it alone, etc. A few replied. And there seemed to be a consensus that he's guilty. That was disappointing to me. Because when everyone agrees, then there is not much to discuss and argue about, especially in this case when it's all circumstantial, so when all or most people believe he's guilty without enough evidence, then the discussion becomes "let's see how we can interpret the evidence to support our belief that he's guilty". I think I read posts that said how he put his hand under his chin when the photos of the remains were shown, what does that mean, as if that somehow showed he's guilty (I am by no means being personal, but I'm talking about the way people make their judgement about guilty or not). For the sake of argument: so what if he didn't put his hand under his chin? What if he put his hand on top of his head? Or put his right hand over his left hand? Or put his left hand over his right hand? Was that what he would do when he's nervous or remembering something disturbing? Same about picture of him in the desert hole. Honestly I see nothing unusual or guilt-suggestive in these. There are probably more guilty-suggestive pictures of other folks that we haven't seen, but we are given this one suspect CM, so let's analyze every facial muscle and every picture of him to find signs that suit our belief that he's guilty. Seriously? If you do that, you can probably find most of ourselves guilty given a few more "circumstantial evidence" to put us on the defendant seat.

Please don't take this personal in any way - fact is, I haven't read most of the posts here, and don't remember who posted what.

Thanks for asking... Well, a few days ago I said I wished there was a poll feature here, I asked, do you think CM is guilty, if so do you think he did it alone, etc. A few replied. And there seemed to be a consensus that he's guilty. That was disappointing to me. Because when everyone agrees, then there is not much to discuss and argue about, especially in this case when it's all circumstantial, so when all or most people believe he's guilty without enough evidence, then the discussion becomes "let's see how we can interpret the evidence to support our belief that he's guilty". I think I read posts that said how he put his hand under his chin when the photos of the remains were shown, what does that mean, as if that somehow showed he's guilty (I am by no means being personal, but I'm talking about the way people make their judgement about guilty or not). For the sake of argument: so what if he didn't put his hand under his chin? What if he put his hand on top of his head? Or put his right hand over his left hand? Or put his left hand over his right hand? Was that what he would do when he's nervous or remembering something disturbing? Same about picture of him in the desert hole. Honestly I see nothing unusual or guilt-suggestive in these. There are probably more guilty-suggestive pictures of other folks that we haven't seen, but we are given this one suspect CM, so let's analyze every facial muscle and every picture of him to find signs that suit our belief that he's guilty. Seriously? If you do that, you can probably find most of ourselves guilty given a few more "circumstantial evidence" to put us on the defendant seat.

Please don't take this personal in any way - fact is, I haven't read most of the posts here, and don't remember who posted what.

Your post reminded me of something I read about what happened during one of the hearings way back when, during which it was announced that a diaper had been found in one of the graves. Upon hearing this, apparently Chase turned beet red, and hung his head. Most people would say this indicates guilt, but, as you say, not necessarily. Sure looked like it, though. MOO

 

[HelenK]

Why would he be as McG was Summer’s friend not Joey’s?!

That made me smile. Actually, though, McGyver was a friend of both. He knew Joey first, and introduced him to Summer.

 

[BradB]

You are right, it was never confirmed by LE he passed.

Still a long way to go in trial. Anything can happen.

 

[HelenK]

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?

You're right! (And in this house a bunch of guys are watching this year's right now ). But this is not an official long weekend. However, I guess some people make it one on their own.

 

[missy1974]

SB has said it knows exactly how he did just that.

They did? Can you tell me where they said that?

 

[missy1974]

I think he has been accused of Domestic Violence in the past. That is not that much of a different nature. And also of financial crimes, also a similar nature. To me, it just shows what his way of thinking and doing is like.

Who accused him of DV? Has Jarvis since they have been split? Not saying it's not true, I could see it, but soooo many things not verified and not true in this case, I don't know what to believe/not believe anymore, at least until I see it in evidence ;-) Which I don't think we would hear about DV in the trial.

 

[Edmo]

SB has said it knows exactly how he did just that.

Is SB San Bernardino (Sheriff's Office) ? Where did you receive this info from? THIS is very interesting to me. Thanks

 

[katydid23]

McStay slaying suspect arrested; business partner has criminal history
In September 2001, he pleaded no contest to second-degree commercial burglary and grand theft after being accused of stealing items from San Gabriel Valley Ornamental Iron Works.


He was ordered to serve 180 days in county jail and three years' probation, said Ricardo Santiago, spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. But it took Merritt nearly 10 years to complete probation because he didn't pay required fees or show up for a court-ordered program, records show.

He finally completed probation on Sept. 14, 2010 -- about seven months after prosecutors say he bludgeoned the McStays to death.

Merritt received a contractor's license to work with ornamental metals in 1982, state records show, but a website that reviews Inland Empire businesses shows two complaints against his company for failing to complete work after customers paid.

McStay murder mystery: Who is Chase Merritt?

Court records show Merritt is a two-time ex-con with a criminal history that includes burglary, grand theft, petty theft, receiving stolen property, criminal trespass, and several arrest warrants.

The following list of Merritt's criminal cases was contained in a 2001 probation report as well as other court records, obtained by CBS News 8. The list does not include traffic infractions.

ADULT HISTORY
DATE CHARGE DISPOSITION (MAX SENTENCE)
02-04-77 Burglary 66 days in jail
07-28-77 Petty theft 60 days in jail
10-24-78 Criminal trespass 30 days in jail
11-18-78 Burglary 2 years in prison
04-16-85 Receiving stolen property 365 days in jail
02-04-87 Receiving stolen property 16 months in prison
05-21-88 Receiving stolen property 14 days in jail
06-17-88 Parole violation
04-02-01
Burglary
Grand theft
180 days in jail
Merritt's most recent felony conviction was in 2001, court records showed, when he admitted to stealing $32,000 worth of welding and drilling equipment from San Gabriel Valley Ornamental Iron Works in Monrovia, Calif.

He pleaded guilty to burglary and grand theft charges and was sentenced to 180 days in jail.

Merritt violated probation several times in subsequent years and failed to appear in court on numerous occasions, resulting in his probation period being extended and at least seven warrants being issued for his arrest between 2001 and 2010, the records showed.

His probation from the 2001 felony case ended on Sept. 14, 2010.

Merritt has also received several citations for driving on a suspended license, and appeared in Victorville traffic court as recently as July 2013.

None of Merritt's past crimes are violent in nature, as he pointed out in his interview with Daily Mail.

"Nine out of ten people on this planet have got some kind of criminal background," Merritt said to the tabloid.

"I am an old man. I got into trouble here and there when I was a kid, but I do not have some long criminal history, which is what people have tried to imply," he said.

Merritt has not been named by law enforcement as a suspect in the McStay murders, and Patrick McStay insisted his son trusted Merritt as a business partner.

"I have to have faith in Chase because I have to have faith in my son. I believe that (Joseph McStay) trusted Chase and believed in Chase," Patrick McStay said. "Do I think Chase is involved? I don't think so and I truly hope not."

 

[HelenK]

What has strong smell, or stinks, especially when left on a counter or floor for some time?
*Broken eggs
*Used coffee grounds
*Popcorn
*Dirty diapers
All of these were found on first inspection of McStay home. I have always believed the killer put these out to mask death odors. Additionally, the killer painted some walls. Fresh paint odor masks a multitude of lingering smells.

Me too.

 

[Edmo]

You are right, it was never confirmed by LE he passed.

Still a long way to go in trial. Anything can happen.

The Polygraph is ONLY admissible in court (In Calif) if both sides agree to it being introduced as evidence.

 

[HelenK]

Is SB San Bernardino (Sheriff's Office) ? Where did you receive this info from? THIS is very interesting to me. Thanks

Time the enemy in solving McStay family killings - CNN

At about 1:41