McStays Episode 5: The Best Friend

20/20

This episode explores the investigation into the disappearance and murder of the McStay family in 2010, focusing on the growing suspicion su

Key takeaways

Chase Merritt was portrayed as a trusted friend and collaborator by those who knew him, including Kathy Jarvis, who disputes the idea he could have committed such a crime.

Main topics

The disappearance and murder of the McStay family
Chase Merritt's alleged involvement in the crime

Notable quotes

"I feel like a... You know, stories changed. Chase was a good guy, and then all of a sudden he was somebody that they would think murdered their son or their brother or their family." – Kathy Jarvis

Conclusion

Despite no conclusive evidence, Chase Merritt was charged with four counts of murder and faced

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) Hi, this is Ashan Singh here with another weekly episode of our latest true crime series from 2020 in ABC Audio, What Happened to the Mixed Days? Remember, you can get new episodes weekly on Tuesdays if you follow What Happened to the Mixed Days on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you're listening now. Or you can hear the entire series right now ad-free by subscribing to 2020 True Crime Plus on Apple Podcasts. Click the link in the description to start your free trial today. Now, here's the next episode of What Happened to the Mixed Days. Speaker 1 (0:36) I want to hire a private investigator. Speaker 3 (0:38) Some folks say I'm Speaker 2 (0:39) the best. Speaker 1 (0:40) ABC Speaker 3 (0:41) Tuesday, TV's hottest P.I. is back. You sure you're ready to take on a serial killer? There's like a dozen more likely explanations other than serial killer. All right, maybe not a dozen. In Florida, crime has no off season. Speaker 1 (0:55) I just heard you were shot at today with a rocket launcher. Speaker 3 (0:58) Well, I missed. R.J. Decker premieres Tuesday, 10, 9 central on ABC. Next day on Hulu. When Speaker 2 (1:06) Kathy Jarvis heard that Joseph McStay was confirmed dead, she says she could hardly believe it. Speaker 8 (1:14) When the news came that, you know, they had found Joseph's family. Speaker 8 (1:20) It was hard. It was hard to process that. It doesn't feel real. You know, you just kind of, I can't be them, you know. Like, I even called Joseph's phone or something like, no, this can't be happening. You've got to come back. Speaker 2 (1:39) Kathy had known Joseph for a few years. She said she met him through her partner at the time. Speaker 8 (1:45) I'm Chase Merritt's ex-girlfriend and mother of his three children. Speaker 2 (1:51) Back when the McStays had gone missing, Kathy and Chase were still together. They had one teenager and two kids under 10 and were living in Rancho Cucamonga, a city on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Kathy says that Joseph would often drive their way to have dinner with Chase and talk about upcoming projects. She says she got to know Joseph well. After the McStays went missing, she said that Chase wanted to be there for Joseph's extended family. But after the bodies were found in the desert and the investigation into their murders began, Kathy says the people in the McStays' inner circle began to look at Chase differently. Speaker 8 (2:37) I feel like a... You know, stories changed. Chase was a good guy, and then all of a sudden he was somebody that they would think murdered their son or their brother or their family. Speaker 2 (2:51) Kathy says the idea just didn't make sense to her. Why would Chase kill someone who was giving him work? Speaker 8 (3:00) Joseph and Chase were talking about plans for the future. Like, there was lucrative contracts coming. Why would you put that in jeopardy? It just doesn't make any sense. Speaker 2 (3:13) But San Bernardino Sheriff's detectives had come to think otherwise. They now believed Chase Merritt did have a reason to kill Joseph McStay. For them, it came down to what investigators believed happened on February 4th, 2010, when they said a dangerous confrontation had led to irreversible decisions. But who is Chase Merritt, the man that detectives now felt was capable of the entire family? This is The Audio in 2020. I'm Ashin Singh, and this is What Happened to the Mixed Days. Speaker 2 (4:03) Episode 5, The Best Friend. Kathy and Chase met in the early 1990s. And according to Kathy, they were together, off and on, for around 20 years. They've been broken up for over a decade now. But Kathy still remembers Chase as being a good person, even if he's far from perfect. Speaker 8 (4:33) Chase is a little arrogant. He's creative. He'll tell you he's athletic. He'll boast about how athletic he is. But the first time I saw him be athletic was at a mountain bike race. And he hopped on the mountain bike and he was about to jump over this little curb and he hit it and face planted. And he just jumps up and he's like, ooh, you know. He's just like a big dork. He is funny. He's goofy. He has a good sense of humor. We laughed a lot. Speaker 2 (5:12) Kathy said that the day they first saw each other, it was an instant attraction. Speaker 8 (5:18) I actually met Chase at a country western bar. He was there playing pool. I was there to dance. Speaker 2 (5:27) Kathy described Chase wearing a cowboy hat and said that he was in shape. She said he looked like a big, tough cowboy who could take care of her. Speaker 8 (5:38) I happened to be sitting near the dance floor by the pool tables when he hit me with his pool cube. And I kind of turned around like, hello? And he just had no clue. He just didn't even acknowledge me. So I was like, what an idiot. Speaker 8 (5:56) So I'm like, I turned back around, I was like, okay, whatever. By the end of the night, I was on the dance floor with somebody else, and Chase was standing at the dance floor, like waiting, just standing there, watching. And when I walked off, he's like, oh, we should go get something to eat, you know, let's talk. And I was like, uh, okay. Speaker 2 (6:21) Not long after they started dating, Kathy said Chase took her to meet his family. They lived east of L.A., just over the San Gabriel Mountains, in the Mojave Desert. At 3,000 feet elevation, the high desert is dotted with sagebrush and juniper trees. Small towns are scattered across the landscape. Speaker 8 (6:45) Chase grew up in Hesperia, California. At that time, like the 60s, early 70s, it was pretty much the middle of nowhere. Speaker 2 (6:56) The next town over from Hesperia is Victorville, where the McStay's bodies were found. just outside city limits. Kathy says that some of Chase's family still live in the desert, including a sister, Juanita, whom Kathy says he was especially close to. According to Kathy, Chase was from a big family. There were eight brothers and sisters. Speaker 8 (7:25) As Chase grew up, he was kind of the one that, you know, his family could lean on if they needed something, like he would be there. He's just that sibling that I feel like they all could rely on. Speaker 2 (7:40) Over the years, Chase had some troubles with the law. Between 1977 and 2001, he had several convictions for burglary. Kathy says that when they started dating, Chase seemed focused on pursuing a career in welding. It was a skill his father had taught him. Early in their relationship, Chase set up a metalwork shop in Kathy's garage. Speaker 8 (8:07) He started making these metal art wall hangings. And when I saw them, I was like, wow, I mean, that's pretty cool. Speaker 2 (8:16) Soon, she says, the couple started their own metalwork business. Chase was making one-of-a-kind waterfalls, and Kathy was helping with designs. But according to Kathy, Chase could be difficult to work with. Speaker 8 (8:31) I would tell him which way I think it should be. I'm like, I think it'd be more markable if you did this color or that stone or something. And he would just not listen to me and do it his own way. Speaker 2 (8:44) Kathy said there was another reason that she and Chase would butt heads at work. Speaker 2 (8:52) Oh Speaker 8 (8:52) gosh, Chase