Blink On Crime -

McStay Family Murders: Charles Chase Merritt Arrested In The Murders of McStay Family

Posted by BOC Staff | Chase Merritt,Chubba McStay,Dan Kavanaugh,Gianni McStay,Heather McFadden,Jonah McStay,Joseph McStay,McStay,Michael McFadden,Michael McStay,Patrick McStay,Summer McStay | Friday 7 November 2014 11:55 am

This is a developing story, please check back for details.

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Comments (580)

580 Comments

Gold prospector says:

June 19, 2015 at 10:11 am

So glad to see action here again. I have missed all the intelligent comments from you and your follower’s trying to figure out this most complicated case. I have read what the DA presented at the pretrial and though some seems to implicate Chase there is some things that they didn’t explain ( I guess they don’t have to ) Example.. There were two set of tire tracks. At grave A 76″ grave B 73″. Chase was driving a truck that fit grave B 73″. If he did it alone what about the other tracks. They say that he killed the family on the 4th bashing all with multiple hits the head and body with a 3lbs sledgehammer wrapped Joey in a blanket/futon cover and with no plastic sheeting or drop cloths at the gravesite I guess he just tossed them all into some unknown vehicle gushing with blood urine and feces and went home. Then the next day his phone pinged for 9 hours in Upland (town next to Rancho Cucamonga ) Santa Clarita and San Fernando valley both 20 minutes from each other and both an hour from Rancho. He kept these decaying bodies until the next day when he drove up to Victorville and at around 11am buried them and they know this because of 10 pings off a tower nearby and 6 of those calls were Chase making the calls not incoming. I guess San Diego spends as much time training their cadaver dogs as they do their Detectives because they didn’t get any hits from the dogs, I just don’t get it. anyone care to fill me in..
GraceintheHills says:

June 19, 2015 at 12:46 pm

There was so much rage involved in these killings. I think Merritt resented the hell out of Joey and what Joey was accomplishing. We know he hated Summer. He probably saw the children as mere extensions of Summer.

I don’t know how the McStay and Aranda families are getting through all this. All of them are victims as well.
Rose says:

June 19, 2015 at 11:50 pm

@GitH. I agree the children were seen as mere extensions of Summer, & perhaps she was the primary rage target & he briefly hit pause on Joey. Perhaps when Joey terminated Merritt (or whoever), he blamed her (the wife’s making me do this).
Rose says:

June 19, 2015 at 11:52 pm

@Gold prospector. You’re suggesting a secondary scene
as yet unidentified between the house & the graves?
Gold prospector says:

June 21, 2015 at 10:51 pm

I don’t know what I am saying Rose. Did this really all happen at the home ? Best clean up ever if it was. Did Chase leave them at the home until he went up to Victorville to dig the graves ? Remember SB said that she felt she had to clean up because the smell from the diapers was so bad ? Then 10 days later Steve Watts wrote in his blog that he and Tim Miller were over at the house and there were dirty diapers. one in the playhouse upstairs and one in the bathroom downstairs. So this diaper thing really bugs me. Were they taken out of the trash to conceal something ? If Susan cleaned up because of the diapers why did she leave 2 of them ? I don’t believe Summer would just leave them like that. Or did Chase take them with him out the San Fernando Valley ? This I don’t believe he did. So where were they until the 6th. I am going to totally discount the QuickBooks check writing as part of the evidence against Chase because we know Dan and Mike both did that and more the rest so far is the pings and the trace DNA. I think they are going to have to pull something else out of their hat for this to stick. IMAO ( In my arrogant opinion lol )
Gold prospector says:

June 21, 2015 at 11:09 pm

The only way I can think of that this could have happened at the home is if he marched them out to the shed and did it there but that doesn’t really make much sense either. I am really having trouble wrapping my head around Chase do this to the family. I guess I am no different than a lot of people who once set their theory of who did it on someone else ( Mine was Dan. Schneider Quintero ) its hard to rewire the brain
GraceintheHills says:

June 23, 2015 at 3:16 pm

Gold prospector, I am not discounting Merritt’s check forgeries, thefts, and his attempts to destroy evidence because he is the only individual charged with capital murder of the McStay family. Do you really think that SBCSD and the FBI did not investigate other potential suspects in this case? LE and the FBI always follow the money trail (as well as other evidence) and apparently they determined that the money transfers made by others were not connected with these murders.

During most preliminary hearings the prosecution puts on just enough evidence to convince a judge that there is probably cause the defendant was involved in the crime. We will hear from more witnesses when the case goes to trial.

It is my personal opinion that Mike McStay and Susan Blake inappropriately accessed and liquidated Joey and Summer’s finances and personal property. I also believe strongly that will be a point of contention in the trial for both sides. I make no judgement on their motives for doing so because I have not interviewed either on the topic for the record.
I do not believe, nor have I ever seen any evidence that any members of Joey nor Summer’s family could be involved in their murders.

That said, I can tell you from my professional experience, that presentation of any and all “e” records is some of the most subjective evidence for a jury to hear and RARELY is it presented in terms a trier of fact “layperson” can find “definitive.” It is also commonly ( by some derivative whether in it’s actual interpretation/presentation/juror instruct/misuse finding in opening or closing) a reversible error. The 9th circuit L O V E S to address this of late, and an example of where I believe this will grant a new trial is in the Arias case. I think so far what the DA did correctly was use the FBI to present the brief amount of data that it did.

It is important to remind folks that there are at least 3 agencies who held jurisdiction in this case- SDCSD, SBCSD and the FBI in the interim before the bodies were located. It can be assumed that the bulk of the evidence was analyzed repeatedly during that time and I do not believe Chase was a suspect at any time until they were- that is not terribly uncommon but it will be fodder for the defense.

For me, I don’t think folks that are interested in the case have a strong knowledge yet ( for the most part) of the chronology of transactions and to whose accounts money was deposited over the critical timeframe where I believe a jury will certainly infer that the folks accessing those accounts had knowledge the McStay’s were deceased.

I am sincerely hopeful that the prosecution has this case nailed down to the nth- because the defense does not need to prove “SOD”- just the doubt that there might be.

I can say that I do not have a single colleague to date that buys that all 4 were bludgeoned in the home and the jury is going to want to understand and weigh that scene against the other evidence.
B
GraceintheHills says:

June 23, 2015 at 6:37 pm

Oops. Probable, not probably, cause.
Alli says:

June 23, 2015 at 11:22 pm

Gold prospector, I agree with you. Dan, Schneider, and Quintero were my first suspects. They still are. Lots of shade there.
Denka says:

June 24, 2015 at 1:54 pm

Why would the DA not make a determination yet if they are going for the death penalty? If, in fact, they are certain it was Chase and have all the evidence, wouldn’t this be exactly the kind of case to seek death penalty?
Alli says:

June 25, 2015 at 10:07 am

Denka, I’m wondering the same about the delay in announcing a DP decision. With two minor children involved I would think it most certainly would be a DP case. Do the McStay and Aranda families have input about this decision? Maybe they would rather life in prison for Chase. Or doesn’t the DA feel he has a strong enough case?

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1502/10/csr.01.html

KAYE: District Attorney Ramos doesn’t believe that this is an open and shut case though.

RAMOS: I think the biggest obstacle we’ve talked about it in cold cases is time, because the witness is forget, people forget the timeframes, what occurred, et cetera, some evidence that could be lost.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/11/07/sheriff-to-release-new-information-in-mcstay-family-murder-investigation/

“There was no smoking gun,” Sgt. Chris Fisher said.

Im not sure if y’all are aware, but last June a Federal Judge ruled CA death penalty unconstitutional.
see:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/16/justice/california-death-penalty/

It’s my opinion that 2 things are going on. The first is a proffer of a plea and the second is the DA my be presenting the case to a grand jury- it is very important to note that Chase Merritt has not been indicted for a quadruple murder to include 2 children although this case meets several of CA aggravating factors on it’s face.

Also- Merritt has not been charged with forgery or theft although it was stated in open court that he committed those acts. My concern is- one of the aggravators is that the murder occurs as a result of concealing another felony ( as an example) and that is clearly the prosecutions theory and bulk of it’s case in chief- why hasn’t he been charged with those offenses? It is my feeling there is going to be serious difficulty proving that beyond and to exclude a reasonable doubt.

In other words, the DA has set itself up to prove motive ( when legally it is not required) because of a lack of physical evidence tying Merritt directly to the murders.

B
Alli says:

June 26, 2015 at 2:25 pm

Thanks, Blink. Your comment makes perfect sense.
Gold prospector says:

June 26, 2015 at 3:44 pm

Asked with respect . What ? Did the DA not have their ducks in a row before they arrested Merritt and thought they would just line them up later ? Thank You

I think the DA has an informant and the ex, and a mountain of circumstantial evidence. Yes, there is some physical evidence, but it is going to be exceedingly difficult to prove a case where the suspect has been in the home repeatedly, in vehicles, and in contact with the decedents. It can all be explained via transfer so far. It is not and will not be permitted as foundation as evidence of guilt at trial. That is what is making me antsy here. What comes in at a prelim has an entirely different standard as to what comes in – in front of a jury and people need to remember that we are at the discover phase for all intent and purpose. Don’t get me wrong, I believe Merritt is involved, but I have not seen evidence to my satisfaction that all 4 murders occurred in the home, or that he did not have help. In fact, I think preliminarily the “evidence” shows differently.

B
Gold prospector says:

June 26, 2015 at 3:47 pm

If it didn’t happen in the home which I also haven’t talked to anyone who thought that it did, Will the DA’s from A to Z fall apart and then what will happen.. Confusing

Depends what they present at trial. I also think their decision to seek the death penalty will start the narrative here.
B
Gold prospector says:

June 26, 2015 at 3:54 pm

Was anyone representing Summer at the hearing ?

I do know that Susan Blake claimed all 4 victims for the CA victims fund- which of course meant nobody else could, but certainly would have been entitled to.
B
Gold prospector says:

June 26, 2015 at 6:01 pm

Thank You .. And I am actually following what you are saying LOL
Gold prospector says:

June 26, 2015 at 6:40 pm

See reading about the victims fund is just another one of those things that gets in the way of the facts because the emotional distain comes into play for me. I know all about victims funds and know exactly what it means when you said Susan Blake claimed all 4 victims… Stay calm Gold Prospector.. Stay calm and breath …
TM says:

June 26, 2015 at 10:07 pm

Blink:

With all due respect, in CA the state has the option of a grand jury indictment or the DA can file charges. In this case the DA filed four counts of PC 187, murder.

I am aware, but if you look at recent murder cases and especially capital murder, the gj system is used as well. I agree in CA it is used far less than in other jurisdictions.

For anyone wishing to read the transcripts they can be found here.

http://statevsmerritt.blogspot.com/2015/06/part-three.html?m=0

I am going to withhold my comments on it until I am finished.
B
Mom3.0 says:

June 26, 2015 at 10:37 pm

I have been reading along unable to comment til now- issues w/my side-

Anyway- I agree w Blink- Rsnip “Right now for me there are more questions than answers as to the facts in evidence than I am comfortable with”
end snip

I too have questions on lack of blood evidence how two grown adults and two children could have been brutally bludgeoned multiple times in the home and there isnt any sign of it in the home-

Adding
The paint on the murder weapon according to defense is NOT a match for paint in the home-
the paint on Summers bra strap could have been from any # of days painting- not necessarily from the time of death-

The cell pings according to defense:
“They have some cell tower evidence that doesn’t place Mr. Merritt in places in terms of San Ysidro, or the home in Fallbrook,” said Mettias.

Defense also claims to have an alibi-they will only present at trial
–
http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/06/11/merritt-attorney-identifies-possible-murder-weapon-and-evidence-in-mcstay-family-murders/

Then from earlier link:

“We have serious issues with the state of the evidence,” he said. “I could see where they chose, OK, we’re going to go with this guy, but nothing that is going to prove his guilt.”

Mettias said he expected prosecutors would say Merritt took money from McStay’s business that builds indoor water features, prompting a confrontation between the men.

Mettias said his client had an alibi, but he would not reveal it before trial.

–
Because of LEs earlier assurances that the Mcstays went to Mexico and there was no sign of foul play in the home etc- I think it is going to be an uphill battle for prosecutors to overcome -

Evidence rightnow doesnt point to 1 person Chase Alone having committed this crime
AJMO Peace

Right now I am flabbergasted that the DA did not ask SA Boles, nor did SBCSD provide information on the cell number that called Chase 5x while his phone was off or in airplane mode which he immediately called when it called for the 6th time and he let it go to vm and called it back about 10-15 mi south of his house.

B
Mom3.0 says:

June 27, 2015 at 2:12 pm

Re Blinks response
“Right now I am flabbergasted that the DA did not ask SA Boles, nor did SBCSD provide information on the cell number that called Chase 5x while his phone was off or in airplane mode which he immediately called when it called for the 6th time and he let it go to vm and called it back about 10-15 mi south of his house.B”

Yes Blink that stood out to me as well- Could it be that whomever made those calls is working w/LE and got a deal? Otherwise Im at a loss as to how that oversight makes sense…. who, the girlfriend that gave the alibi of watching movies..and possibly was “witness” to non exsistant ignored 8:30 call from Joseph?

Reviewing the link you supplied (thanks)
This whole thing does not seem very smart or very planned

Merrit backdates checks to feb 4th- and tells LE Chick-fil-A meeting was to recieve these checks- (Did the resturant meeting even take place- it must have didnt Joseph call mom and state he ws sick coming back from meeting?) he lies about 8:30 call from joseph (unless this call was from landline to landline) He goes to a casino- even though he tells LE that w/out Joseph he wont be able to make rent

towels in the home were missing- some were found in the graves along with kiddie kitty bath robe(so sad) but other adult robe still on hanger

childs backpack w/his paint brush found in grave- but all towels werent cell phones werent-

why was Joseph tied with electric cord- to me that says he was incapacitated and kept alive not bludgeoned in a blitz attack unawares … was he wearing the same clothes at meeting or were they different- no shoes so what does that mean for timespan ?

were the others already dead? or what asleep? how does one man get this all done without dogs attacking or others running fighting screaming?-

Even if bludgeoned w/towels wrapped around heads in the home – there would still be transfer blood splatter from force on ceilings- wouldnt there?

So many questions-did Merrit make car drop off- other evidence drop off- clean up- and murder all by himself== did he take a bus home what? yeah who made those calls

AJMO Peace

First let me say I believe Merritt is involved, and it is possible he acted alone. I do not believe he did, whatsoever, but I cannot exclude the possibility. This was a preliminary hearing of course- where no actual defense is going to present affirmative evidence- that’s proper.

I am still reeling at the presentation, not at the lack of the response- but let’s keep in mind, the prosecution bears this burden right now.

1. The emphasis on the 6 calls to Chase phone and clarification it was not Jarvis. That’s a salvo.
2. Det stated there are no FBI reports in the case file. WAAA? This agency had this case for 2 years, and assisted throughout. This is the lead agent. Corrects himself to say that Boles has a power point on specific cell activity. Notations in early search warrants expressly identify FBI as the agency that served warrants and used their lab. I say again, waa? You will notice the objection from the DA was “that it goes to discovery”. In my view, this may be the interpretation of how the DA could “hold back” discovery from the defense as we go into the expert witness area. It’s a Fed thing.
3. There may be a typo, but at the end there is a check for $20,350. That is not addressed in the testimony, ever. If an error, than everyone missed it.
4. The phone call from Joey’s phone to CM occurs at 8:28PM. So wth is the DA asking about an 8:30 PM call? I do not get that unless it was an innocent error on BOTH the SA and the DA part. It’s true that a call that comes in 2010 on a powered off cell is not going to show on the bill- however, why tell Jarvis it never happened when it is unequivocally on Joey McStay’s call records. It happened. I do not like that a det attempts and successfully changes her testimony on inaccurate data.
5. The sign in onto the Quickbooks account on 2/4 around noon is unclear as to who did it- it is intimated that it was Joey but is vague.
6. Keep in mind, the prelim is all about hearsay, and is permissible at prelim- it is not at trial.
7. I have been studying this case for a while, I have more than a few images of CM actually holding either a 3 lb sledgehammer, or what I own myself, which is a 3 lb rubber mallet.
8. There is no DNA or blood evidence in that home. Period. There is zero mention of any blood evidence on a single item of evidence. Joey was wrapped in a tan woven material and the only note is decomp fluid on it. Who has tested that for the presence of decomp fluid?
9. The verbiage that the graves were depressed and appeared something was dug up and put back? WTH is that inference.
10. None of Summer’s jewelry was recovered anywhere. Not glasses, not purse, not wallet.
11. Joey’s ( wallet) is found in the closet of the MB, suitcases being filled, including one standing wide open in the bathroom.
12. No damage or evidence inside the home to reflect a sledgehammer weilding animal capable of crushing the skulls and other parts of adults and babies. No physical evidence of any kind of a quad murder and I promise everyone no empiricals or literature could support that.
13. And OMG- who misses the cells were recovered from the house? That doesn’t get a mention?

Short list to start.

B
Mom3.0 says:

June 27, 2015 at 2:36 pm

Thinking- was Summer giving her son/s a bath- and thats why she had no shirt on- is this why kitty robe was in grave no shoes… Was she attacked in bathroom while on knees did blood evidence disapper down drain?

If so was Joseph and other son still downstairs? Is this the reason why all werent buried together- they didnt die together? Werent transported together?

Heinous anyway you look d iat it- but some scenarios are way gone- just plain evil-
A&P

For me- I have not been able to come up with a single scenario to include presently known evidence where I could conclude that all 4 murders occurred in the home. It has not been a cursory exercise- I have spent about 40 hours overall pouring over images that are published and not- of that home after the alleged events and before. I get that the point I am trying to accomplish is dual. For my own professional reasons, and because I want to see what a jury will have to work with.

Today I went back to the early coverage, to include Ramos interview with Randy Kaye.
He is markedly less confident than many are.

B
Gold prospector says:

June 27, 2015 at 4:54 pm

It was taken down at 1:30pm I got to read most of it before it went dark .. Hope everyone else did also. Very interesting. If you didn’t don’t worry it has been cut a pasted by many and it will show up somewhere soon
Gold prospector says:

June 27, 2015 at 5:52 pm

Very interested in what else you are flabbergasted with Blink ? I have read every one of your followers comments on this case and yours and I read them with interest because I see sanity here.
Gold prospector says:

June 27, 2015 at 5:53 pm

I was able to read all of the .. Not I got to read ,, How embarrassing
Gold prospector says:

June 27, 2015 at 7:10 pm

Well ..Giggles .. I can say I have never seen you so befuddled. And this makes all of this even more interesting to me now.
Gold prospector says:

June 27, 2015 at 9:36 pm

I would very much want to read you long list. I am positive I am not the only one
TM says:

June 28, 2015 at 5:49 pm

Blink: It appears as though you’re posting on Baker’s blog or somebody is copying and pasting your posts to his site.

I absolutely am not posting on that blog, and I certainly hope nobody is posting ‘as me’. I would only ever post as myself.
B
TM says:

June 28, 2015 at 7:27 pm

The person is not posting with your name but I read some posts there and then read your posts here. It was like deja vu.
Rose says:

June 29, 2015 at 10:48 am

@TM. I thought Baker, is
staking his future on Merritt being
found innocent. Tho he
blows with the wind,
even from day to day imo.
Goat says:

June 29, 2015 at 11:18 am

Tortured.
A thought. Since Joey was the only one bound. Could it be that summer and the kids were tortured to try and extract information of some kind from Joey?
Just a thought.

Possible.

However, I am not convinced yet Joey was the only one bound. There were remnants of the same red tie downs interwoven with Summer’s bra as I recall. One thing I am sure of- is that the anthro study and the autopsy protocol will be paramount to this case.

B
Mom3.0 says:

June 29, 2015 at 2:27 pm

Thanks for the responses and the “short” list
‘

Alot to think about Blink-
My Internet has been on the fritz so I will hopefully be able to comment fully later

Just wanted to post quickly to let you know I read yr responses & appreciate yr taking the time
GraceintheHills says:

June 29, 2015 at 3:26 pm

Announced today, the State is seeking the death penalty.

Yes Grace, thank you. Of course- last I checked this case met about 6 aggravators iirc.
B
TM says:

June 29, 2015 at 3:31 pm

Seeking the death penalty.

http://www.sbcountyda.org/Newsroom/PressReleases/2015/DAtoseekDeathPenaltyinMcStayfamilymurders.aspx
Gold prospector says:

June 29, 2015 at 4:32 pm

What if anything does this mean? There was a plea deal offered and Chase didn’t take the bait ?

That will not be revealed until adjudication, and even then may be sealed if he is convicted. I absolutely believe that he was offered a deal to plea. In recent statements from his Atty- who, btw, I literally have no idea why a criminal defense atty would openly attach itself to a blog where the “author” has both previous and future pecuniary interests in this case fresh off his young lawyer status ( OMG the dejavu) but I note the MSM did not publish his press release.
B
Ode says:

June 29, 2015 at 5:17 pm

TM says:

June 28, 2015 at 7:27 pm

The person is not posting with your name but I read some posts there and then read your posts here. It was like deja vu.
****
Blink they are cutting and pasting your words over there. Just want to be sure it does not create problems for you in any way down the road.

Can someone link it when they get a chance, I will delete it but I am not seeing what y’all are seeing- I will never post on that blog.

Let’s try a test, lol.

I don’t see how the DA had any choice but to seek the DP in this case. As I stated previously, it meets several aggravators under the law. I wish to be clear I believe Chase Merritt is involved in the quadruple murders of the McStay family. I also wish to be clear that I do not believe he acted alone. I realize that sometimes my zeal for wanting criminal cases to be tried properly comes across as critical of one side or another- I really hate that because true and effective jurisprudence is how true bad guys ( non gender specific) go to jail as appropriate, and stay there, and cases that do not uphold the supreme court basis for guilt are disposed appropriately.

Critical discussion helps that cause throughout history and today. I am on the side of the 4 innocent people that got their skulls bashed in ( among other inflicted injuries). I don’t give a chit about being right or knowing more than someone else- I care about getting it right, which is exceedingly difficult in high profile cases.
B
Ode says:

June 30, 2015 at 3:39 pm

http://rickgbaker.blogspot.com/2015/06/open-discussion-thread-part-two.html#comment-form

Blink this was the page they appeared on. They have been removed and followed by a lot of Blink bashing…Creeps. They were direct quotes of what you had said of late and they were not presented as quotes or given any credit to you as saying them. Rick must read hear or how would he have known they were your words. I don’t read there. I only wanted to see what TM was referring to.

I cannot see any of that from the link but thank you. The magic of BOC does allow me to see who is copying content and posting it elsewhere so that has been preserved. Yes, he does read here.

Incredulous to be bashed on a site who’s “author” has gotten every single thing wrong about a case he has a published work, the SBCSD has shunned him, the McStay family et al has shunned him, and a bunch of yahoos who could easily be the homeless person who frequents the library- or every poster could be himself (Baker) who has once again announced his pecuniary interest in a case involving one of the most violent and sadistic homicides I have seen- who could know?

B
Gold prospector says:

June 30, 2015 at 4:03 pm

Gotcha lol
Gold prospector says:

June 30, 2015 at 9:59 pm

OMG this has gotten totally out of hand .. I thought some of your comments were smart and I was impressed with them . The ones I really thought brought some intelligent info to a sometimes mind numbing boring comments. I also told TM that it was a compliment and I was never taking your words as my own. Now come on something meant as praise and trying to make it seem dark. PS I think only one person said something negative and that did not include Rick who seemed to take the high road on this subject. I get at least 5 negative responses when I leave comments so you were not bashed . I read over at Mr Bakers blog because it is about a case I have much interest in. I was glad to see movement once again here and I still look forward to reading what you and your community have to say. OK we good .

Ok, so YOUR THE PILFERER? lol, yes, please don’t post content elsewhere, and I know it was not malicious or ill-intended so yes we are fine. I appreciate your candor on the issue.

It is just beyond the pale how some posters react when trying to discuss issues in this case critically. My fave is “show me your credentials” immediately for having a differing opinion that is based on fact, not under-educated guesses or want to agree with everyone else” but I would like to remain anonymous. wth?

B
Gold prospector says:

June 30, 2015 at 10:04 pm

And not all gold prospectors are he’s lol
Rose says:

July 1, 2015 at 2:10 am

Well, I went to see what was up yesterday, and it is so hard to plow thru many of those comments–just opinion and emotion imo. I didn’t see Blink’s stuff, but the recent thread I read was short, & they were all bashing each other, then complaining about it. So Blink is not being treated uniquely there imo; bashing is common currency.

I am intrigued as to why Mettias would align himself with someone who has a prior pecuniary interest and recently announced future pecuniary interest in the outcome of this case. As Mettias is privately retained, he will still seek state funds for his indigent client, and he will need to disclose any agreements for past or future renumerations on his behalf. Interestingly, Mettias background would not qualify him as a court appointed defense attorney in a capital case.

This is looking like Jose Baez, lol, because under the CA code, Mettias is not qualified to represent Merritt in a capital case, but he has been privately retained (pro bono, iirc). He will still be seeking public funds on the experts, etc, so that should be interesting.
B
Rose says:

July 1, 2015 at 12:14 pm

erose says:
June 28, 2015 at 11:51 pm
and Blink replied in part:

“again, the lead agent got on the stand last week and said he has never read any reports generated by the FBI ( the lead agency for 2 years) and I nearly fell off my chair.”
http://blinkoncrime.com/2013/12/31/kyron-horman-missing-new-years-eve-settlement-ends-horman-marriage/#comments
—
don’t you think this is like DA Risa Ferman redoing the GJ indictment of Kane first hand? Doesn’t mean there are no FBI reports, just means the lead agent set up a Chinese wall and deliberately did not read them so when crossed at trial can truthfully say “I did not read them” and thus was not influenced by them in my investigation. I bet there’s “stuff” pointing to other suspects on reports that in fact exist & the defense has.

I would have to review the transcript again for his exact verbiage, he actually had to correct himself because an FBI witness was coming up to testify who had prepared reports, so he offered that he “mispoke” wrt to the pp presentation SA Boles was testifying to and was accepted as the only 2 exhibits, iirc at the prelim. Mettias was obviously not going to present affirmative def at the prelim, but he did extract that morsel, and I have to believe it is strategic.

B
Rose says:

July 1, 2015 at 12:19 pm

Imo the representation does seem as opportunistic as Baez’.
Baez said iirc he relied heavily nevertheless on free law student labor
Won’t he have to associate with a capital-qualified attorney? If not, grounds
for appeal? One strength of the defense male on Arias is he did
not seem to be primarily pecuniary-motivated.

He is privately retained so technically no, but as I understand it his associates have the requisite standards covered. That said, the DA can always move to put him to second chair for grounds, in many states regardless he could not be first chair. He literally only made it out of the CA young lawyer status 5/20/15 so I wonder when he was officially retained.

If he is hoping to attract legal talent the likes of which participated in Anthony, the worst mistake he could have made was align with Baker- they will not come anywhere near that guy.

B
Rose says:

July 1, 2015 at 12:23 pm

May I suggest Prospector that RB’s
blog is the polar opposite of a Gold mine?
Best to you.
Apparently the blog is being used to float theory for the defense.
LOL
B
Gold prospector says:

July 1, 2015 at 12:53 pm

Search warrants have been released .https://twitter.com/sharonchenfox5
Gold prospector says:

July 1, 2015 at 12:55 pm

Oh and to your response to me copping to it .. LOL Will do . Or I mean will wont LOL
Gold prospector says:

July 1, 2015 at 1:06 pm

LOL Rose . I cant argue with you. But when desperate. desperate does. I am really into this case like a lot of people soooooo
Gold prospector says:

July 1, 2015 at 2:00 pm

Download all 305 pages now at Bakers blog. And don’t shoot the messenger lol
Gold prospector says:

July 1, 2015 at 3:16 pm

This is funny . When they searched Chase’s home they found a copy of Rick’s book .. Oh and I guess there really was a dirt biker out in the desert. That was a surprise

I think I knew that already on the book, lol, what a Robert Durst moment, lol. That area is frequented by dirtbikers, there is hours and hours of footage of it on youtube.
B
Gold prospector says:

July 1, 2015 at 4:54 pm

The search warrants are everywhere now so you don’t have to taint your laptop or phone by going there . Hee
Gold prospector says:

July 1, 2015 at 4:59 pm

Not putting anyone down or anything like that but also a funny moment was when Patrick was interviewed and asked how he spent his day and he said all waking hours were spent on this case and then a shot of him at his computer with Blink on the screen. It was funny to me

That was not in the warrants, correct?
B