Nearly a decade after the McStay family disappeared the man convicted of their murders has been sentenced to death.
Merritt was given life without parole for the murder of Joseph McStay & the death penalty for the murders of his wife & their two young sons. @KNX1070 https://t.co/jKqlos6a9h
— Margaret Carrero (@KNXmargaret) January 21, 2020
Before the judge handed down the sentence for Charles Merritt, there were tearful victim impact statements made by relatives including Summer McStay's sister.
Joseph McStay's mother said "this despicable, evil monster had brutally beat my family. How could you beat two, precious little babies?"
Merritt also spoke saying he loved Joseph, "I would never have hurt him in any way. I would never raise my hand to a woman or a child. I did not do this thing."
Investigators believe Merritt killed his former business associate and his family including the couple's two young sons because he was being cut out of the business.
The family's remains were found in a shallow grave in the Mojave Desert in 2013 several years after they vanished.
