Paul Merhige

Case record: Paul Merhige

Status

Paul Merhige was held without bail and remained in prison awaiting trial.

Timeline

• 2006 — Merhige requested protection from law enforcement after he accused his sister of trying to kill him, and he dropped the request a few weeks later.
• 2006 — Carla Merhige requested a restraining order against her brother after she said he threatened to kill her and himself, and she withdrew her request a few weeks later.
• 2009 — Paul Merhige was accused of gunning down relatives inside his cousin’s home as Thanksgiving dinner was winding down.
• 2009 — Merhige’s actions during the Thanksgiving meal led to the deaths of four family members.
• December 2, 2009 — A report described that Merhige sat through three hours of Thanksgiving Day dinner and sing-alongs around the piano before the shootings.
• January 2, 2010 — Merhige was taken into custody on Long Key.
• January 18, 2011 — A trial date was set for the South Florida man charged with killing four family members on Thanksgiving Day in 2009.
• February 2 — Merhige’s arraignment in court was set.
• May — Circuit Judge Joseph Marx planned to attend a judicial training class to enable him to preside over the case when it went to trial in August.
• August 8, 2011 — Merhige was set to go on trial for the murders of his two sisters, aunt and 6-year-old cousin.
• Thanksgiving 2009 — The killings occurred inside his cousin’s home as Thanksgiving dinner was winding down.

The offence

Paul Merhige was accused of fatally shooting four family members on Thanksgiving Day in 2009.

Victims

Merhige was accused of killing:

• Lisa Knight — Merhige’s sister and twin, who was pregnant.
• Carla Merhige — Merhige’s sister and twin.
• Raymonde Joseph — their aunt, aged 76.
• Makayla Sitton — their cousin’s daughter, aged 6.

Merhige also shot:

• Patrick Knight — his sister’s husband, who was shot in the stomach and spent three months in a medically induced coma and was not expected to survive; later, he was expected to be the star witness at Merhige’s trial.
• Clifford Gebara — grazed by a bullet.

Merhige was also accused of trying to shoot his uncle unsuccessfully.

What happened during the Thanksgiving dinner

Paul Merhige sat through three hours of Thanksgiving Day dinner and sing-alongs around the piano before opening fire.

Merhige’s cousin-in-law, Jim Sitton, described that there were:

• “There were no arguments, warnings or red flags before the rampage, said Merhige's cousin-in-law Jim Sitton, whose 6-year-old daughter was killed.”

Sitton said:

• “He had this whole thing pre-planned. His goal was to shoot his sisters and punish his parents,” Sitton said.

Sitton said it was not clear exactly who was shot when, and that the bloodbath could have been worse with 16 family members present.

Sitton said Merhige pointed the gun at Merhige’s uncle and it “twice wouldn't fire.”

Sitton said that Merhige “turned and started to walk away and said, 'I have been waiting 20 years to do this.'”

Merhige was heard saying he had waited:

• “he had waited 20 years to kill them,” according to the host of the dinner that turned deadly.

A report described that Merhige methodically picked off his victims, shooting his twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight, and shooting their aunt, Raymonde Joseph.

Investigation and manhunt

After the shooting, Merhige vanished. He fled to the Florida Keys and reportedly planned to commit suicide.

Authorities described the prolonged national manhunt, and Merhige became one of the nation’s most wanted criminals for more than a month.

A reward for information leading to the apprehension of Paul Merhige was:

• $100,000

Authorities also alerted Michigan authorities to be on the lookout for Merhige because a doctor in the Detroit area treated him there three months before the report.

Investigators stated that authorities who raided Merhige’s motel room said he had apparently been following the manhunt on the Internet.

A report described that Merhige swapped the license plate on his blue Toyota Camry and kept it covered in a motel parking lot.

Merhige was described as last being seen operating a:

• 2007 royal blue four-door Toyota Camry bearing the Florida license plate W42-7JT

Authorities issued an arrest warrant for:

• four counts of first-degree murder
• two counts of attempted first-degree murder

A report described that a $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest.

Jupiter police were looking in bodies of water near the home; the report stated the search was not based on any specific tip.

Arrest

Merhige was taken into custody January 2, 2010 on Long Key.

He was arrested at the Edgewater Lodge in Long Key, between Islamorada and Marathon.

The motel’s owner recognized Merhige after seeing his face on local news and recognized him as one of their customers.

After his capture, Merhige was held in the Palm Beach County Jail, remaining held without bail.

Trial and court proceedings

Trial date and judges

A trial date was set for Merhige:

• August 8, 2011.

A hearing was held with a new judge presiding because Circuit Judge Joseph Marx was not certified to preside over a death penalty case. The report stated Marx planned to attend a judicial training class in May to enable him to preside when the case went to trial in August.

Circuit Judge Karen Miller, who was certified, would hear issues until then.

The case was set to be handled by Circuit Judge John Hoy.

Arraignment

Merhige’s arraignment in court was set for February 2.

Expected trial length

The trial was expected to last five weeks.

Prosecution and charges for death penalty pursuit

Prosecutors decided to seek the death penalty for Paul Michael Merhige.

The decision was announced by State Attorney Michael McAuliffe.

The report said the decision came after a grand jury formally indicted Merhige on:

• three counts of attempted first-degree murder

Police said he shot and wounded two other relatives and tried unsuccessfully to shoot his uncle.

Prosecutor assignment and defense

Veteran Assistant State Attorney Aleathea McRoberts was slated to prosecute Merhige.

Merhige’s parents supported him financially and had not hired a private defense attorney. He was represented by Carey Haughwout, the county’s public defender.

Sentencing

A death penalty notice was pursued by prosecutors if convicted.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

No verdict or final legal outcome was provided; Merhige remained in prison awaiting trial.

Aftermath and related statements

Calls to seek execution

The report stated that after Merhige’s capture, the father of one victim and the celebrity host of the “America’s Most Wanted” television program called on McAuliffe to seek to have Merhige executed.

Jim Sitton, father of Makayla Sitton, said:

• “If there's anyone who deserves the death penalty, it is someone who would execute my 6-year-old daughter while she is in bed,”

Settlement details about the dinner and victims’ activities

A report described that Makayla wrote cards how thankful she was for her family and strung them on a clothesline.

The report described that after dinner, she sang songs as part of an impromptu dress rehearsal for a performance of “The Nutcracker” the next day, and that she would have turned 7 in a few days.

The report described that Sitton was comforted after he walked into his daughter’s room Sunday and wept when he read for the first time a novel she had been writing about a squirrel.

Gun and planning details

A report described that authorities said Merhige meticulously plotted the killings, including buying four guns, packing clothes, and withdrawing at least $12,000 in cash.

During the Thanksgiving meal, the report said he sat quietly and ate nothing. It said later he went outside, removed a gun from his car and re-entered, and moments later opened fire without a word.

A report described that Merhige “also pointed the gun at Merhige's uncle, but it twice wouldn't fire.”

Reported prior threats and self-harm

The report described that Merhige had once shot himself in a supposed suicide attempt.

It also said he allegedly threatened once to cut the throat of one of his sisters.

Mental health history referenced in case narratives

The report stated Merhige’s reported history of mental problems was described as:

• obsessive-compulsive disorder
• chronic depression

The report also described that Merhige had an “extensive planning and escape” that could complicate attempts to argue a convincing insanity defense, and it described that defenses can backfire in death penalty cases.

It included a quote from Christopher Slobogin, director of the criminal justice program at Vanderbilt University Law School:

• “Some people have described serious mental illness as a double-edged sword,” he said.
• “It … tends to show dangerousness in a typical juror's mind,” which might make a jury more likely to recommend the death penalty.

Other people mentioned

The report mentioned the following individuals connected to events:

• Jacqueline Kirtley — who sat next to Merhige in AP biology and described not recognizing him from earlier years.
• Bob Schweid — Merhige’s football coach for half a season.
• Kevin Beaver — professor at Florida State University.
• Dr. Stephen Alexander — practicing psychologist and former chief psychologist for the Palm Beach Circuit Court.
• Sally Collins-Ortiz — an officer quoted about the search not being based on a specific tip.
• Jim Sitton — host of the dinner; described as father of Makayla Sitton and cousin-in-law in the report.
• Patrick Knight — hospitalized after being shot in the stomach.
• Carey Haughwout — county’s public defender.

Autobiographical and background details mentioned

The report described that Merhige was an honors student and varsity athlete at a prominent Miami prep school before studying at the University of Miami.

It said he graduated third in his class from Gulliver Prep, and that he played football, baseball and soccer and led the French honor society.

It also described quotes from the yearbook page made by Paul Michael Merhige to family:

• “I love you now and will forever.” and a promise addressed to:
• “all 32” members of his family.

The report described yearbook wording including:

• “I have been so lucky to be blessed with having twin sisters and being your protective older brother” and a warning:
• “You better watch out with those northern guys. For some reason, I don't think they have what it takes to treat a girl right.” and a compliment:
• “zest to experience life in every way.” and remarks to “Mom and Dad”:
• “Mom and Dad, thank you for all that you have given me” and a quoted statement attributed to Merhige:
• “I've been waiting 20 years to do this.”

Additional family-related narrative referenced

The report stated that Merhige’s mother said he suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic depression.

The report stated the mother said he had a nervous breakdown at 19 at the University of Miami.

The report described that family members had declined to discuss the specifics of what happened.

The report stated Merhige had battled severe depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and that he repeatedly bathed and shaved, struggled to make decisions, and was unable to hold a job.

The report also described that he skipped his medicine and attempted suicide, and that he routinely threatened to kill one of his sisters before withdrawing in 2006.

The report included a background claim about Merhige’s aunt killing her husband and her two children and then herself in the 1970s, and a reference to a profile by the U.S. Marshals Service implying Merhige might think he had OCD.

Court handling and custody status

The report stated Merhige remained held without bail.

Other details

• Merhige was described as considered armed and dangerous in connection with the reward notice.
• The report described he had last been seen in a royal blue 2007 Toyota Camry with a Florida license plate, and that he had swapped the license plate on the vehicle while hiding in the Keys.