Richard Merritt

Disgraced former Cobb County attorney Richard Merritt is accused of killing his own mother. Merritt is charged with malice murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. In January 2019, a Cobb County judge sentenced Merritt to 15 years in prison for stealing more than $454,706 from 17 different clients. Merritt was given two weeks bond to get his affairs in order. On the day he was supposed to turn himself in, his 77-year-old mother cooked him his last family meal. Then with plates still on the table, and pots on the stove, police said Merritt brutally murdered her, cut off his ankle monitor and then went on the run. After a nationwide manhunt Merritt was caught eight months later by U.S. Marshals in Nashville.