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Both Sides Rest in McStay Family Murder Trial


Both sides have rested in the McStay family murder trial, San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Thursday. 

Closing arguments in the case against Charles Merritt are expected to begin on Tuesday, May 28. 

Merritt is charged with killing Joseph and Summer McStay along with their 3- and 4-year-old sons. The family’s disappearance in 2010 perplexed investigators for years.

Alerted by relatives of the Fallbrook family, investigators began looking into their whereabouts and discovered the family’s SUV had been towed from a parking lot in San Ysidro.

Surveillance footage in the area showed who officials believed to be the McStays walking into Mexico. 

However, the disappearance stumped investigators for years. 

It wasn’t until November 2013 that the family was found dead, buried more than 100 miles away in a remote area of San Bernardino County, along with a 3-pound sledgehammer and a child’s pants and diaper.

Joseph McStay’s business partner, Merritt, was arrested the following year. 

Supervising deputy district attorney for San Bernardino County accused Merritt of “desperately [trying] to cover his tracks after the murders.”

Prosecutors also accused Merritt of stealing thousands of dollars from Joseph’s custom fountain business by hacking his electronic bank account.

Merritt pleaded not guilty to the charges.

If convicted, Merritt could face the death penalty.

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Source: NBC San Diego

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