Monday, Jan. 7, 2019 | 2:32 p.m.
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The 2010 disappearance of a family from their Southern California home puzzled investigators for years, with no signs of forced entry and the couple's credit cards untouched.
After their remains were found three years later in the desert more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) away, authorities charged a man with the killings, alleging he used a sledgehammer to beat to death his business partner, the partner's wife and two young sons before burying them in the remote area.
Now, Charles "Chase" Merritt is on trial in the deaths of Joseph McStay; McStay's wife, Summer; and their 3- and 4-year-old boys. Opening statements began Monday in San Bernardino County, where the family's remains were found.
Merritt, 61, has pleaded not guilty and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Authorities have said Merritt's cellphone was traced to the remote gravesites and to a call days later seeking to close out McStay's online bookkeeping account.
They also say Merritt's DNA was discovered on the steering wheel and gearshift of McStay's SUV, which was impounded near the Mexican border a few days after the family vanished.
Defense attorney James McGee said McStay could have transferred that DNA to the vehicle after he met with Merritt shortly before the family vanished. McGee also said none of Merritt's DNA was found at the gravesites but DNA belonging to other unidentified individuals turned up there.
"From the evidence the government is going to present, our argument is going to be: You had the wrong guy," McGee said.
Britt Imes, supervising deputy district attorney for San Bernardino County, said he could not comment on ongoing cases.
The McStay family disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, which is about 50 miles (80 km) north of San Diego, in 2010. Their remains were found in 2013 along with a 3-pound (1.4-kilogram) sledgehammer and a child's pants and diaper. Authorities have said all four victims were believed to have been killed by blunt-force trauma to the head.
Investigators have said they spoke with Merritt shortly after the family went missing and noticed he referred to them in the past tense. They also have said a customer service representative told them he received a call about McStay's QuickBooks account, which he used to pay vendors connected to his water features business, after he vanished.
The call, according to authorities, was placed from Merritt's cellphone.
