CA - Joey, Summer, Gianni, Joseph Jr McStay Murders - Feb 4th 2010 #9

[missy1974]

I wonder if this is the same sister who walked out of the hearing yesterday. I think the tweet said that sister was on oxygen.

I was wondering too. And she was probably there to testify and because no jury, no testimony yesterday.

 

[QueenBofOB]

I don't want to speak for @JMarsh but I think she/he was referring to Sgt Smith as the "underdog", not Chase. Please correct me if I'm wrong @JMarsh!

Now what is this about swinging kittens? I don't recall ever hearing about this!

I can barely write this, I'm choking up just recalling it. Someone posted a comment, about CM swung a TINY, HELPLESS kitten named Richard, AROUND BY IT'S TAIL--UNTIL THE TAIL RIPPED OFF. Anyone capable of such a heinous act, is surely capable of rape, torture and murder of a mother (whom he absolutely HATED), her two babies (one still in diapers) and her husband. CM is guilty. Plain and simple.

 

[Longtimenoc]

You are off your rocker. (With all due respect).
The items in the grave were clearly from the home. The kid - the 4 year old kid - had his head bashed in numerous times. The bodies were buried where someone didn’t want anyone to ever find them. All of these things indicate it was not random.

It sure didnt take you long to dive in lol

 

[missy1974]

Poor girl! Do you believe her? Plan to watch tonight.

I don't know if I believe her... I don't know if there is anything there of substance to believe or not believe... she pretty much said right away that she doesn't remember much about even being interviewed, she didn't recognize Smith, she said she was drugged up and had just had surgery. She had also suffered a few strokes, and more...

Right away I was feeling bad for her, cuz she looked like she was in pain and drugged. IMO if the prosecution was going to try to use her as a "he wasn't there witness" she is as reliable as if the defense tried to use her as a "he was there witness".

Can't wait to watch it again, cuz I actually don't know if Rodriquez even asked her about the 6th LOL

 

[cobalt sky]

I see what you mean. I have 2 screenshots and I figured out that Merritt got 65% of the total for each project. The next columns show payments made to him, but there is not enough of the document to conclude whether he had been paid as much as he should have been paid or if he was actually overpaid.

If you read the actual email, it is ambiguous as to whether Merritt was owed money or if he owed money to Joseph. I think the prosecution is going to be in trouble with that exhibit.

@MichaelCorleone @missy1974 do you recall if there were other emails in the string to put this particular email into context?

 

[katydid23]

The defense isn't denying that Chase wrote checks by way of the CUSTOM account, which was separate from Joey's more important and personal account CONTACTS. An account that Chase apparently already had the password to.

That is being admitted to.

What the defense claims is that YES, Joey did give Chase checks to use to pay himself and apparently Metro. The only way those checks are a problem, is if they are cashed, and we know that one check was cashed prior to Joey going missing and Joey never changed his passwords, or spoke to his bank rep of fraud. This indicates that he was OK with the check writing.

And Chase only accessed that one account. He wrote checks in keeping with what was owed to him. He never accessed the CONTACTS account. He never used credit cards. The total stolen was about 20K, and he was expecting so much more that year in work. Doesn't make sense to kill a guy for 20k, when the work you might do with him over that year could add up to a few 100 K

The arrangement was a little unconventional, but makes sense to me.

I don't agree thAt there is any evidence that Joey was 'OK' with Chases's check writing. We do not know what Joey knew or thought about that check being cashed. We don't even know if he knew about it yet.

 

[MichaelCorleone]

I think I have the same spreadsheets... they are very very confusing!!!!!

It won’t let me post them. I finally figured out how and then it gives me a security error. Drat.

 

[cobalt sky]

I can barely write this, I'm choking up just recalling it. Someone posted a comment, about CM swung a TINY, HELPLESS kitten named Richard, AROUND BY IT'S TAIL--UNTIL THE TAIL RIPPED OFF. Anyone capable of such a heinous act, is surely capable of rape, torture and murder of a mother (whom he absolutely HATED), her two babies (one still in diapers) and her husband. CM is guilty. Plain and simple.

Whaaaaat!?! I hope this isn't true!!!

 

[QueenBofOB]

I'm beginning to think that the family left the home of their own volition that Friday morning, and that something happened to them after this. Whether they were lured out or just ran into a killer/s it's hard to know.

But the more I go back and look at pictures of the home, and the evidence around the Trooper, it doesn't seem as if the killers were at all worried about being discovered by way of either the home or the Trooper--and these were places and things, they had to have known would be looked at immediately.

I AM ASKING THAT PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT TO CALL NAMES TO PLEASE IGNORE ME-YOU HAVE THIS OPTION. IT IS ACTUALLY POSSIBLE TO BE CIVIL WHEN DISCUSSING THESE ISSUES.

So, they left home, without the stroller, Summer's prescription sunglasses, diaper bag, then "just happened" to run into some random killer? Wouldn't we have MORE cases, here in the S.D. area, of this occurring to other innocent bystanders?

 

[Force Ten]

When you’re a person of interest in a murder case like DK was and then to lie about your whereabouts is about as suspicious as it gets.

He was never listed as a person of interest.

 

[MichaelCorleone]

@MichaelCorleone @missy1974 do you recall if there were other emails in the string to put this particular email into context?

No, I don’t think so. There is only that one email that I remember and reading that now, it seems much more ambiguous than I remember it. There was a spreadsheet attached to the email, but that isn’t completely clear either.

 

[Longtimenoc]

Or if you watch the video, it was the question asked. She answered it truthfully, it was the questioning and answering.

just read the tweets since we don't have an upload yet:


Rodriguez: Who did you live with in 2010? Juanita Merritt: I didn't live with anyone, that's why Chase came to stay and help me. Rodrguez: 2010? Merritt: Yes Rodriguez: Isn't it true you told a detective that as of 2010 you hadn't seen him in 5 years? Juanita: No

Rodriguez: Isn't it true that you told the detective you had only seen him one time prior in 2009, you met him and Cathy at a Coco's with the kids? Juanita: That's not the only time I saw my brother.

Now this is from Smith on direct:
She said the last time she had seen Chase was 5 years earlier. Talked to him maybe once every 6 months. Smith said Juanita told him if she wanted to see his kids she would go to Rancho Cucamonga to see "Cathy and the kids."

Cross examination. Maline: Did Miss Merritt say she hadn't see Chase at all in 5 years or that he hadn't been to house in 5 yrs? Smith: He hadn't been to her house in 5 yrs. Maline: So she didn't say she hadn't seen him 5 yrs. Smith: That's correct.

No wonder she was laughing at them!!!!!! Again, if they had just prepped for the witness, that all could have been avoided. Smith seems to agree that she DID NOT SAY she hadn't seen him in 5 years.

She lied under oath today

 

[Tortoise]

I see what you mean. I have 2 screenshots and I figured out that Merritt got 65% of the total for each project. The next columns show payments made to him, but there is not enough of the document to conclude whether he had been paid as much as he should have been paid or if he was actually overpaid.

If you read the actual email, it is ambiguous as to whether Merritt was owed money or if he owed money to Joseph. I think the prosecution is going to be in trouble with that exhibit.

I'm not sure I agree.

He said overpaid and then wrote 'plus' the other two projects, and added that to the overpaid subtotal, so I think it's clear it's money Chase owed to Joey and not the other way around.

 

[Force Ten]

wow... Maline should just sit down LOL

That is horrible. She said they had her on every pain killer at the time she was drooling out of her mouth, she does not remember talking to them, doesn't remember who it was.

Seems strikingly different from what Smith testified to and wrote in his report.

 

[katydid23]

read the statement, not testimony, where she says she was high on drugs and drooling and couldn't even recall that it was Smith that interviewed her. Okie dokie then.

I know that she says that now. But that doesn't mean I believe it.

 

[MichaelCorleone]

I'm not sure I agree.

He said overpaid and then wrote 'plus' the other two projects, and added that to the overpaid subtotal, so I think it's clear it's money Chase owed to Joey and not the other way around.

It it isn’t clear that he is not saying Chase overpaid him. Twist it like the defense attorneys are going to. It can be twisted. IMO

 

[cobalt sky]

I'm not sure I agree.

He said overpaid and then wrote 'plus' the other two projects, and added that to the overpaid subtotal, so I think it's clear it's money Chase owed to Joey and not the other way around.

That could be, but I really think there needs to be an additional email(s) or something to give this email context because it could be interpreted in a lot of different ways imo. Also, why was Joey OVERPAYING Chase in the first place? Where was he getting the money to even do that?

 

[Force Ten]

This is a comical at this stage, the prosecution really need to communicate better with their witnesses because they are just coming across as inept.

It's my impression she is a hostile witness.

 

[Bernina]

or a side effect of having multiple strokes.

...if that side of the face is paralyzed that they're drooling from.

 

[citygirl]

Then why post a reply?

I like her reply. She echoes sentiments of several posters.