0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
San Bernardino County prosecutors on Tuesday will begin presenting evidence against Charles “Chase” Merritt, accused of killing a Fallbrook family in their home in 2010 and burying their bodies in the Mojave Desert near Victorville.During a brief hearing Friday in San Bernardino Superior Court, Merritt, 58, told Judge Michael A. Smith he was ready to move forward with his preliminary hearing on Tuesday.Supervising Deputy District Attorney Britt Imes, who stood in for prosecutor Sean Daugherty during Friday’s proceedings, did not object, but said the prosecution would need at least two days to present its evidence.Smith, who has a civil trial beginning Monday in his courtroom, asked Merritt if he would mind waiving his right to a continuous preliminary hearing so that his hearing, should it not conclude Tuesday, could resume on Friday. Merritt agreed.Smith assigned the case to another department that was larger and could accommodate more people, including family and friends of both the victims and Merritt and the news media.During a preliminary hearing, prosecutors present their key evidence to a judge, and defense attorneys can challenge the strength of that evidence. The judge then decides if the evidence is strong enough to order the defendant to stand trial on the charges.
Author
Topic: Evidence in McStay family murder case to be revealed Tuesday in court (Read 380 times)
