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

[katydid23]

If you see the photos and layout of the house there was no line of sight from the office where the desk lamp was on (at the back near the window) to the staircase. There was a dividing wall on the staircase. If they'd wanted to leave a light on for the children so they wouldn't fall down the stairs they would have left a light on that would actually light the way, like in the kitchen.

Instead of wanting my kids to go the kitchen for water, I used to leave them a small cup of water on the bedside table. Problem solved.

Who wants a tired, half awake toddler stumbling around the kitchen by themselves?

 

[asyousay]

They don't have to send him to Death Row.

It’s a two-part trial: first guilt, and then penalty. If the jury is at all conscientious, the question of the death penalty shouldn’t affect this verdict.

I assume that the jury has had this spelled out to them, somewhere along the line?

(Not meaning to say that you’re not conscientious!)

Thanks for explaining that as I was not aware of that.

 

[wary]

Thanks for explaining that as I was not aware of that.

You’re welcome! The laws of 50 states and a myriad of other countries are certainly too much to keep track of!

 

[mrjitty]

Linda Kenney Baden (@KenneyBaden) | Twitter
WOW in NJ saying the defense is 'smoke and mirrors' is Unethical- Prosecutorial Misconduct. Any verdict would be reversed. CA needs to up its game here.

Don't you just love her

Page 50 of the Prosecutor's Guide, issued by State Bar of California, Prosecutorial Ethics in Closing Argument (linked by MrsPC I believe), states as follows -

The old “defense counsel is throwing up a smoke screen” argument

In People v. Marquez (1992) 1 Cal.4th 553, the court determined that the prosecutor's comment that a “heavy, heavy smokescreen has been laid down [by the defense] to hide the truth from you” constituted a proper argument in response to the defense presented. (Id. at p. 575-576; see also People v. Kennedy (2005) 36 Cal.4th 595, 626-627 [“defense counsel’s ‘idea of blowin’ smoke and roiling up the waters to try to confuse you is you put everybody else on trial’”]; People v. Stitely (2005) 35 Cal.4th 514, 559 [prosecutor’s argument that jurors should view defense “counsel's argument as a ‘legal smoke screen’” was not misconduct]; People v. Frye (1998) 18 Cal.4th 894, 978 [calling defense theory “ludicrous” and “a smoke screen” proper and not attack on defense counsel].)

https://www.sccgov.org/sites/da/Documents/IPG Memos/2017-IPG27.pdf

As we learned on Pistorius, the legal talking heads are mainly strong on generality but otherwise valueless because usually they don't bother to follow the specific of the case

That's where Prof Grant was awesome because he actually delved deeply into the law instead of running his mouth on TV

 

[mrjitty]

Catching up on Imes

Fascinating evidence point. Padlock keys in different pockets

Did Joey make Chase give up his storage key?

Never thought of that but its so obvious when you think about it. Each man had one key. Joey took Chase's back, but put it in his other pocket, and not on his key chain.

 

[Tortoise]

Has it ever been said if these keys were all found loose in Joey's pockets or if they were on a key ring and separated from the ring for the photograph?

 

[Tortoise]

Results of the Poll that closed yesterday

Where were the McStays Murdered?
Poll closed Yesterday at 2:21 PM.

1. *
   All four family members were killed in the house
   15 vote(s)
   51.7%
2. 
   All four family members were killed elsewhere
   8 vote(s)
   27.6%
3. 
   Summer and the two children were killed at the house and Joseph was killed elsewhere
   6 vote(s)
   20.7%
4. 
   Joseph was killed at the house and Summer and the two children were killed elsewhere
   0 vote(s)
   0.0%

POLL - Where were the McStays Murdered?

 

[mrjitty]

Instead of wanting my kids to go the kitchen for water, I used to leave them a small cup of water on the bedside table. Problem solved.

Who wants a tired, half awake toddler stumbling around the kitchen by themselves?

Exactly. And as if 3 year olds get up to get themselves drinks?

IMO that stuff comes much later

 

[mrjitty]

Has it ever been said if these keys were all found loose in Joey's pockets or if they were on a key ring and separated from the ring for the photograph?

View attachment 186638

Imes said one key was on the ring and one not

 

[Tortoise]

I wonder what the defense will say about Riccobene. Oh, and Vlad. And the landlord.

Imes peeled back Rudin, Perlin, Beasley, LaRock and Shogren, IMO.

 

[Tortoise]

Imes said one key was on the ring and one not

That was the padlock keys I think. I was wondering about the house key and Trooper key in the photo.

 

[Tortoise]

So what are we thinking another full day of closing arguments?

It was good to see court time being used fully yesterday.

 

[mrjitty]

I wonder what the defense will say about Riccobene.

They will blame the state

 

[Tortoise]

They will blame the state

Playing cards was more appealing.

 

[mrjitty]

@Tortoise I get why Imes ran with a simplified greed angle for the murder - this is a trial not a pop-sci crime blog

But I also don't think he is correct about how it went down.

The first forged cheque wasn't just a theft - it was an escalation.

Sociopaths often indulge in extremely risky and self destructive conduct. Chase had to have known the theft would be discovered.

But IMO he sought this escalation with Joe.

 

[Tortoise]

@Tortoise I get why Imes ran with a simplified greed angle for the murder - this is a trial not a pop-sci crime blog

But I also don't think he is correct about how it went down.

The first forged cheque wasn't just a theft - it was an escalation.

Sociopaths often indulge in extremely risky and self destructive conduct. Chase had to have known the theft would be discovered.

But IMO he sought this escalation with Joe.

Yes.

Do you think it's possible he fooled Joe into thinking he wanted to pay off the debt and requested the numbers, just to get the spreadsheet from him?

 

[asyousay]

@Tortoise I get why Imes ran with a simplified greed angle for the murder - this is a trial not a pop-sci crime blog

But I also don't think he is correct about how it went down.

The first forged cheque wasn't just a theft - it was an escalation.

But IMO he sought this escalation with Joe.

Thank You I have been saying the same thing

When he wrote that cheque it was a * you to Joey. Whether it be in 2 hours or 2 days Joey would find out about that cheque so something happened that tipped Chase over the edge. Once he does the that cheque there is no going back, he can’t exlpain it away to Joey.



ETA - Maybe I have been looking at this wrong and something happened between Summer and him at the house again which we just are not aware of.

 

[Niner]

I believe McGee will finish just before lunch - then lunch - and then off to deliberations for the jurors!
OR!
McGee finishes before lunch - jurors go to deliberate while eating lunch!

 

[asyousay]

I believe McGee will finish just before lunch - then lunch - and then off to deliberations for the jurors!
OR!
McGee finishes before lunch - jurors go to deliberate while eating lunch!

I hated deliberations when I did jury service and being locked away from the time we arrived to the time we went home. Thankfully in the UK it wasn’t a big case we had so we could at least go home at the end of the day.

But even my case which was minor compared to this it took us 2 full days as we had one idiot who I swear shouldn’t of even been allowed to sit as she was over 70 wouldn’t agree with us. So we had to go back and ask for a majority vote which the judge agreed to or I would or still been stuck there a year later as she was not changing her mind.

 

[Longtimenoc]

Sure hope there aren't a couple jurors who refuse to engage and hang the jury. Would be a shame after all this time.