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 The suspect, Charles "Chase" Merritt, 57, was described by police
as a former business associate of the father, Joseph McStay, who was
reported missing with his wife and two boys in February 2010 from
the family's Southern California home.
Merritt, arrested without incident in Los Angeles on Wednesday, is
believed to have acted alone, though investigators are keeping mum
about any motives for the killings, San Bernardino County Sheriff
John McMahon.
The four victims - McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their two
sons, 4-year-old Gianni and 3-year-old Joseph Jr. - died of
blunt-force trauma, the sheriff said. According to police, they were
killed inside their home in the San Diego County community of
Fallbrook on Feb. 4, 2010.
 San Bernardino County authorities took over the investigation last
November after their remains were unearthed near Victorville, about
70 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The shallow graves were located
when a motorcyclist reported finding what he thought were human
bones in the desert.
Merritt faces the death penalty if convicted, county prosecutor
Michael Ramos said, declaring, "This is a cold and callous murder of
an entire family."
Merritt, looking drawn and tense, said nothing during his first
court appearance on Friday, and no plea was entered. The judge
ordered him to remain held without bond until an arraignment set for
next Wednesday.
Defense lawyer Robert Ponce left the courtroom after the hearing
without speaking to reporters.
The lead homicide detective, Sergeant Chris Fisher, told a news
conference that Merritt had at least two prior felony convictions
and served two state prison terms.
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Fisher said McStay and Merritt each had owned his own
decorative-fountain business and that McStay had asked Merritt "to
make some custom waterfalls."
"They started working together, became friends (and) that's how
their relationship started," Fisher said. He added that the two men
had a meeting at a restaurant the day of the slayings.
But he revealed nothing of what detectives knew of that encounter or
what evidence led investigators to Merritt.
McStay's mother, Susan Blake, told reporters at the courthouse that
her son had loaned Merritt "quite a bit of money," but she did not
elaborate.
(Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles;
Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Jim Loney and Sandra Maler)
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