30 January 2020 :

Superior Court Judge Michael A. Smith reaffirmed the jury’s verdict and sentenced Charles Merritt, 62, White, to death. On June 24, 2019 (see) a San Bernardino County jury sentenced Merritt, 62, White, to death for killing a family of four and burying their bodies in shallow desert graves. Merritt was convicted of the murders of his former business associate Joseph McStay, McStay's wife, Summer, and the couple's 4- and 3-year-old sons. Jurors recommended life in prison for Merritt with no parole for the murder of Joseph Mc Stay, but they delivered 3 death penalty recommendations for the murders of his wife and their 2 children. The case puzzled investigators for years after the family vanished from their San Diego County home in 2010. Their bodies were found in 2013. Many questions still remain about the family's disappearance. Prosecutors acknowledged that details aren't entirely clear but say the evidence from the family's car, cellphone towers and financial accounts link Merritt to the killings. Merritt pleaded not guilty. His lawyers didn't offer witnesses during the trial's penalty phase, insisting he's not guilty.