THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A man who helped his father murder a 14-year-old girl in 2000 is back in jail; this time he’s accused of shooting a woman in the head.
40-year-old Cody Merritt turned himself into the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, days after police put out a warrant for his arrest. TCSO said Merritt shot a woman with a rifle, who was living in a car on his property.
Police said a minor issue led to the shooting but did not provide details.
Merritt initially left the scene after the shooting. Nearby witnesses directed police toward Merritt as a suspect.
According to police, the woman who was shot is awake and able to communicate.
Merritt’s arrest comes 24 years after he and his father murdered their nextdoor neighbor, 14-year-old Carissa Benway.
Merritt and his father, a registered sex offender, took Benway, who had run away from home, camping near Coeur d’Alene.
During the trip, Benway was raped, murdered and beheaded.
Merritt, who was 16 at the time, said he helped his father bury Benway’s body.
He told police he helped his father because he wanted to earn a “black rose” tattoo, symbolic of a brotherhood of killers.
He testified against his father and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was released in 2007.
Now, Merritt faces first-degree assault charges, which is a class-A felony. He’s also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. If convicted, each charge could carry a lengthy sentence.
He appeared in court for his preliminary hearing on September 5. His bail was set at $300,000.
His next two hearings are scheduled for September 12 and 17.
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