Where Is Charles ‘Chase’ Merritt Now? 2025 Update & Profile
Before his name became linked to one of California’s most disturbing family murder cases, Charles “Chase” Merritt was known primarily as a skilled welder and business associate of Joseph McStay. He had worked closely with McStay’s custom fountain company, Earth Inspired Products, manufacturing components for the business’s decorative water features. The two were friends and collaborators, with Merritt often meeting with Joseph to discuss work projects and deliveries.
However, Merritt also carried a criminal past. His rap sheet included convictions for burglary and receiving stolen property. His most recent known conviction prior to 2010 was for the theft of industrial tools and equipment valued at more than $30,000. Despite this background, Joseph McStay appeared to trust him, continuing to work with Merritt even as signs of trouble began to surface in their professional relationship.
By early 2010, Joseph had reportedly grown concerned about Merritt’s behavior. Friends later testified that Joseph believed Merritt was mishandling funds and producing substandard work. These growing concerns would become a central part of the prosecution’s case against Merritt years later.
- “What Happened to the McStays?”: 20/20 Reports October 3 2025
- Who Were The McStay Family? A Portrait of a California Dream Cut Short
Contents
The Turning Point: Accusation, Arrest, and Trial
The McStay family—Joseph, Summer, and their young sons Gianni and Joey Jr.—vanished in February 2010 from their Fallbrook home. Initially treated as a missing persons case, their disappearance puzzled investigators for years. Then in 2013, the remains of all four family members were found buried in shallow graves in the Mojave Desert, alongside a three-pound sledgehammer believed to be the murder weapon.
Authorities turned their attention to Merritt after discovering his DNA inside the McStays’ abandoned SUV. Additional evidence revealed a disturbing pattern. In the days following the family’s disappearance, Merritt had cashed checks totaling more than $20,000 from Joseph’s business account. Investigators also used cell phone records to place him near the remote burial site.
After years of investigation and pretrial delays—largely caused by Merritt’s frequent changes in legal representation—the case went to trial in January 2019. Prosecutors argued that Merritt killed the McStays out of greed and fear that Joseph was about to cut him off from the business. They described the murders as calculated and brutal, pointing to the use of a sledgehammer and the decision to bury the victims far from their home.
In June 2019, a jury found Merritt guilty on four counts of murder. On January 21, 2020, Judge Michael Smith sentenced him to death.
Life on Death Row: Where Is Charles Merritt Now?
Charles “Chase” Merritt is currently incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison in California, where he remains on death row. San Quentin houses the largest death row population in the United States, though California has not carried out an execution since 2006. In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on the death penalty, halting executions for the foreseeable future.
At San Quentin, Merritt is housed among some of California’s most notorious criminals, including serial killers and mass murderers. He is not eligible for parole and, barring a successful appeal or a major shift in California’s death penalty policy, will remain in prison for the rest of his life.
Though convicted, Merritt continues to maintain his innocence. According to interviews and prison communications featured in documentaries such as Two Shallow Graves, he has expressed intent to write a book and remains highly involved in efforts to challenge his conviction. He has described the evidence against him as circumstantial and accuses investigators of ignoring alternative suspects.
The Legacy of the Case
The McStay family murders shocked the nation—not only because of the brutality involved but also due to the image the family had projected: a peaceful, tight-knit household building a life together. The revelation that their killer may have been someone they knew and trusted deepened the tragedy.
While Merritt’s conviction brought a measure of legal closure, questions and speculation continue to linger. Supporters of Merritt argue that other viable suspects were overlooked, while surviving relatives of the McStays remain convinced of his guilt.
As of 2025, Charles “Chase” Merritt remains behind bars, awaiting a fate that the state of California appears unlikely to carry out. For many, the case serves as a grim reminder of how financial betrayal, personal grievances, and violence can intersect with devastating consequences.
More “What Happened to the McStays?”
- “What Happened to the McStays?”: 20/20 Reports October 3 2025
- Who Were The McStay Family? A Portrait of a California Dream Cut Short
- Where Is Charles ‘Chase’ Merritt Now? 2025 Update & Profile
