07-03-2019, 12:46 AM
The jury’s recommendation marked a victory for prosecutors who built their case almost entirely on circumstantial evidence which pointed towards greed and self-interest as the motive.
After more than nine years, it was an emotional end to a case that drew national attention, serving as the subject of documentaries and a book.
The details were brutal:
--Joseph McStay's skull was shattered.
--His wife Summer, who was buried with a sledgehammer, sustained a blow to the jaw.
--Both little boys, who prosecutors say were killed because they could have identified the attacker, had skull fractures.
Despite the verdict, it is unlikely Merritt will actually be executed anytime soon, seeing as California Governor Gavin Newsom has imposed a moratorium on the death penalty, vowing that no prisoner will be executed while he is in office because of a belief that capital punishment is discriminatory, unjust and “inconsistent with our bedrock values.”
Even so, prosecutors across the state have continued to try capital cases and Chase Merritt will be living in virtual isolation on death row for the rest of his days.
Ref: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m...story.html
After more than nine years, it was an emotional end to a case that drew national attention, serving as the subject of documentaries and a book.
The details were brutal:
--Joseph McStay's skull was shattered.
--His wife Summer, who was buried with a sledgehammer, sustained a blow to the jaw.
--Both little boys, who prosecutors say were killed because they could have identified the attacker, had skull fractures.
Despite the verdict, it is unlikely Merritt will actually be executed anytime soon, seeing as California Governor Gavin Newsom has imposed a moratorium on the death penalty, vowing that no prisoner will be executed while he is in office because of a belief that capital punishment is discriminatory, unjust and “inconsistent with our bedrock values.”
Even so, prosecutors across the state have continued to try capital cases and Chase Merritt will be living in virtual isolation on death row for the rest of his days.
Ref: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m...story.html