Stay updated with our live coverage of Richard Merritt who is on trial for the murder of his 77-year-old mother Shirley Merritt. Opening statements began Thursday morning in the disgraced lawyer murder trial. The state was able to get through seven witnesses on their first day of trial. Court resumed at 9 a.m. today. Watch live on YouTube and check out our live blog below.
The Case:
Richard Merritt, a disgraced lawyer, is a accused of killing his mother on the day he was supposed to report to prison for financial crimes in February 2019.
Prosecutors believe Merritt brutally stabbed 77-year-old Shirley Merritt while she was cooking him what was supposed to be his last meal before he went off to prison.
Richard Merritt
Merritt allegedly stabbed his mother multiple times in the back and face — the force of the stabbings was so large that the handle of the knife he was using broke off.
Investigators also found a 35 pound dumbbell with hair and blood on it that Merritt allegedly used to beat his mom’s head in.
Immediately after the murder, Merritt took off to Tennessee where he lived under a new alias. He got a job at a bar, started online dating, and met a new girlfriend. Eight months later, US Marshals caught up with Merritt and arrested him for the horrifying crime.
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