June 15--Enough evidence exists to try Charles "Chase" Merritt, the man accused of killing a family of four whose remains were found in the desert near Victorville three years after they disappeared, a judge ruled Monday.
San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Michael A. Smith issued his decision after a daylong preliminary hearing in which prosecutors presented details of their case against Merritt, a business associate of Joseph McStay.
McStay, along with his wife, Summer, and their sons, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr. 3, disappeared in February 2010.
Jimmy Mettias, Merritt's defense attorney, criticized the case, saying, "There hasn't been anything, not one shred of evidence that has pointed to Mr. Merritt having committed these murders. Everything thus far that's been presented has no bearing at all on whether or not these murders were committed by him."
The McStay case puzzled detectives for years after the family appeared to have left their home and simply vanished, leaving no sign of struggle and little clue as to what might have happened to them.
Three years later, their bones were discovered in two separate graves and last year authorities arrested Merritt on suspicion of killing the family.
During the hearing, detectives explained how they used an online accounting program, DNA and bank and cell \phone records to tie Merritt to the murders.
One detective testified that Merritt cashed checks worth thousands of dollars from Joseph McStay that were written using the online accounting program QuickBooks in the days after the family is believed to have disappeared.
Two days later, an FBI agent traced Merritt's cellphone to an area near the graves.
Earlier Monday, a San Bernardino County sheriff's detective testified that Joseph, Summer and Gianni suffered multiple fractures to their heads, possibly caused by a three-pound sledgehammer that was found at the grave.
Joseph McStay's remains were found wrapped in a woven blanket with a white extension cord wrapped around the neck, Det. Edward Bachman said.
Bachman told the court that it was Merritt who called McStay's father to say the family was missing. He also helped McStay's brother search their home in the days after their disappearance.
Merritt has pleaded not guilty in the case.
UPDATE
4:09 p.m.: This post was updated with Merritt being ordered to stand trial.
This story was first posted at 10:32 a.m.
