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Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 | Posted by Editor - Blog News Service

Merhige arrested in Thanksgiving Day slaying of 4 family members

Paul Michael Merhige

Paul Michael Merhige

By Kevin D. Thompson and Mary Hladky
Palm Beach Post Staff WriterPalm Beach Post Staff Writer

JUPITER — They got him.

Over the past month, Paul Michael Merhige, who is suspected of gunning down four of his family members at a Thanksgiving dinner, had become the subject of one of the nation’s biggest manhunts.

But by early Sunday, the fugitive was in the custody of Jupiter police being interrogated, according to authorities.

Late Saturday night, authorities said they received a tip and went to the Edgewater Lodge at mile marker 65.5 in the Florida Keys.

The tipster called in to say a person strongly resembling Merhige, 35, had checked into the motel on Dec. 2 under the name John Baca and provided an address in Homestead, according to the Jupiter Police Department.

Merhige was alone in a room on the second floor of the motel and did not try to evade police.

He was taken into custody at about 10 p.m. without incident, authorities said, though a Taser was used to subdue him. He arrived at the Jupiter Police Department headquarters at about 1:30 a.m.

Merhige, who had not been seen since the Nov. 26 massacre, was arrested in Long Key after America’s Most Wanted aired a segment about the case at 9 p.m. Authorities credited the television program with leading to the tip.

Palm Beach County State Attorney Michael McAuliffe, speaking at a hastily called news conference at the Jupiter Police Department, said Merhige will be charged with four counts of first-degree murder, “and at least one count of attempted first-degree murder.”

McAuliffe, leaving the the Jupiter Police Department at 2:45 a.m. Sunday, declined to say if authorities had finished questioning Merhige or whether the suspected killer was represented by counsel.

Merhige is accused of slaying his cousin’s daughter, Makayla Sitton, 6; her grandmother Raymonde Joseph, 76; and his twin sisters, Lisa Knight and Carla Merhige, 33.

“I’m elated that the monster is in the cage,” Jim Sitton, father of Makayla, said at Saturday night’s news conference. “We don’t have to worry about him killing my wife or coming back for my father-in-law.

“It doesn’t bring my daughter back,” he added, “but at least this chapter is over.”

Jupiter police, along with the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI, had recently intensified their search for Merhige — who had somehow been able to evade capture. Most recently, authorities had concentrated their search on Miami-Dade County and points south.

They also had stepped up efforts to bring the public into the manhunt with fliers, lighted billboards, and even the release of video and audio.

“This was a team effort,” said Jupiter Police Chief Frank Kitzerow. “We were confident we would make the apprehension and we have.”

Authorities indicated that Merhige — who was said to have mental illness and taking several medications — carefully planned the attack. For example, he had purchased four guns days before the assault and had reclaimed his passport from his parents, according to his mother. In addition, he had taken $12,000 in cash out of the bank and bought a cover for his blue Toyota Camry, possibly to conceal the car from law enforcement after the attack.

A Toyota, which Merhige had been seen driving, was found in the parking of Edgewater Lodge with a cover on.

The killing of his family members — particularly Makayla — had shocked the quiet suburb of Jupiter.

Merhige had attended Thanksgiving dinner with family at the home of Jim and Muriel Sitton. Relatives said he was calm throughout the meal. They said they believed the attack was his way of punishing his family for what his mother called “16 years of problems.”

His last victim that tragic night, authorities said, was Makayla. Her mother, Muriel, is Merhige’s cousin.

The manhunt for Merhige quickly went nationwide, with a $100,000 reward issued for his capture. The U.S. Marshals Service and FBI were among the agencies searching for him.

Earlier Saturday, volunteers distributed fliers in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Miami-Dade counties in hopes someone would recognize Merhige and report his whereabouts to authorities.

During Saturday’s America’s Most Wanted report, Jim and Muriel Sitton spoke of the attack and how they are coping.

After Merhige’s arrest, Jim Sitton said: “I’d be sleeping better if he was dead. This is not the best-case scenario.”

Staff writers Christine Stapleton and Rick Christie contributed to this report.

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