This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Jurors have reached a verdict in the case of a Southern California man charged with killing a family of four and burying their bodies in the desert.

Charles Merritt appears in court in San Bernardino in an undated image. (Credit: Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Charles Merritt appears in court in San Bernardino in an undated image. (Credit: Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office said Friday that the verdict in the case against 62-year-old Charles “Chase” Merritt will be read in court Monday.

Merritt is charged with killing his business associate Joseph McStay, McStay’s wife, Summer, and the couple’s 3- and 4-year-old sons.

The family vanished from their San Diego County home in 2010. Three years later, their bodies were found in shallow graves in the desert.

A family photo shows Joseph McStay, his wife Summer and sons Gianni and Joseph.
A family photo shows Joseph McStay, his wife Summer and sons Gianni and Joseph.

Merritt was arrested in 2014. Prosecutors say Merritt killed McStay at a time when he was being cut out of McStay’s water features business.

Jurors began deliberations last week.