McStay Family Killer Sentenced To Death: Inland Empire

INLAND EMPIRE, CA — The man convicted of murdering a Fallbrook family and burying their remains in shallow graves in the Inland Empire desert was sentenced to death Tuesday by a San Bernardino County judge.

In June, Charles Merritt, 62, was convicted of killing Joseph McStay, 40, Summer McStay, 43, and the couple's two young sons, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3.

Tuesday, San Bernardino County Judge Michael A. Smith followed the jury's recommendation and handed the death penalty to Merritt for murdering Summer and the children; the judge sentenced Merritt to life without parole for Joseph McStay's murder.

According to prosecutors, Merritt bludgeoned the family in their Fallbrook home in February 2010 and buried the bodies in Victorville. Days after their disappearance, the family's 1996 Isuzu Trooper was found abandoned in San Ysidro, near the U.S.-Mexico border. Merritt’s DNA was found on the steering wheel and gear shift, according to prosecutors.

After an extensive search, in November 2013 motorcyclists found evidence that led to the family’s remains in two shallow desert graves. A 3-pound sledgehammer was found in the grave containing the remains of Summer and one of her children.

Prosecutors said Merritt killed the family for financial gain. He was a former business associate of Joseph McStay, who owned a decorative-fountain company based in San Clemente.