Posted on 01/09/2010 5:09:54 PM PST by Shermy
Life is returning back to normal for Edgewater Lodge owners Paul and Melinda Pfaff.
But it's been a blur of interview requests and not much sleep since the couple phoned in a tip Saturday evening leading to the arrest of Miami resident Paul Michael Merhige, charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of four relatives Thanksgiving night in Jupiter in Palm Beach County.
Merhige has been holed up at the couple's Long Key motel since Dec. 2 until Paul Pfaff, while watching a daytime football game, happened upon a commercial advertising an "America's Most Wanted" segment on Merhige.
The Pfaffs called the show's hotline and within hours, the U.S. Marshals Service, along with police from Monroe, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, burst through the 35-year-old fugitive's door and arrested him without a shot fired.
Merhige was in Room 14 -- which shares a wall with Room 13, where the Pfaffs' daughter was staying.
"I didn't sleep all night [Saturday]. I gave [the police] my sworn statement at 3:30 a.m. They took a while with a search warrant. The deputies kept some of the news people off the property," she said. "I'm still trying to catch up on my sleep."
Merhige was watching the same "America's Most Wanted" episode Pfaff saw advertised when police entered the room.
"He was getting ready to kill himself. He told the marshals that he was watching [the show] when he got picked up. As soon as it was over, they were there," Melinda said.
Found in Merhige's room: A noose and three tanks of helium hooked up to a plastic bag. He also had canned food and bottled water.
Merhige stopped at the Edgewater Lodge to inquire about rates before days later paying cash for an extended stay. He spent most of each day inside his second-floor room, but was apparently cordial to those he encountered.
Melinda Pfaff said that in the month Merhige was at the Edgewater, she often gave him quarters to use the motel's laundry, and extra bars of soap she had on hand. He preferred to clean his own room, she said.
"He seemed very calm and friendly. I think he felt pretty comfortable with me," Melinda said.
And the Pfaffs felt comfortable with Merhige -- he stayed next door to the couple's adult daughter, Megan, right up until that commercial.
"When [Paul] watched the promo, he knew it was that fellow," Melinda said. "He came from the back to the office where I am and he seemed very upset. He said, 'Melinda, I'm freaking out. The guy who killed his family on Thanksgiving -- he's in Room 14 next to Megan.' "
They checked the show's Web site to make sure it was Merhige. It was.
"I called Megan and said, 'Get your purse and close your curtain and lock your door and come to the office immediately,' " Melinda said. She then told other guests to calmly leave.
"I got back to my house at 7 [p.m.] and had written the number and made the call," Melinda said. The woman who answered the hotline "asked for a scale of one to 10 [how sure I was]. I said it's a 10 and you need to come get him now."
The couple also relayed the tag number Merhige has on his blue Toyota Camry, which was covered with a tarp, to police. It came back registered to a 1991 Lexus Merhige owned in 2006.
Around 8 p.m., numerous unmarked cars with dashboard lights flashing were speeding south down U.S. 1 to the Edgewater.
Monroe County Sheriff's Office detectives were there awaiting the U.S. marshals' arrival. County Fire Chief Jim Callahan told the Keynoter that Conch Key fire station personnel were on standby in case anyone got hurt during the capture.
Melinda drew authorities a detailed sketch of the room's layout. The cops went in and found Merhige in the bathroom. He was tased.
Police say Merhige shot and killed his 33-year-old twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight, both of Miami; his aunt Raymonde Joseph, 76; and his 6-year-old cousin Makayla. The shooter also injured two others, including Patrick Knight, Lisa Knight's husband, police said.
Merhige had been at the Sitton home in Jupiter, north of West Palm Beach, where 17 relatives were celebrating Thanksgiving. He apparently left through the front door as dinner ended, went to his car, returned through the back door and opened fire.
This report was supplemented with material from the Miami Herald
Has this guy ever said why he shot his kin?
He might. It will be on AMW tonight. At the link you can watch the relevant video of the arrest.
He’s crazier than a shithouse rat. I’m not expecting a lot of straightforward analysis or explanation out of him.
What I find astonishing is that an article like this can be written without ever mentioning that the reward was at least a hundred large. It may have even reached more in the week before this fellow’s capture. Heck, I was even looking out for him here in Boca. That’s a nice payday.
Well, if there’s a fat reward, it sounds like the Lodge owners deserve it. They got their daughter out, they got the rest of the guests quietly out, they got the police there in time, and all without any warning to the perp. It sounds as if it couldn’t have been handled better.
I always think it’s funny when bad guys get tased.
Maybe it’s my violent side..8-)
Agreed - they deserve it, I’m just surprised that the alleged journalists covering the story cannot seem to find the space to indicate affirmatively that they will be getting the reward.
Okay, I get the noose, but three tanks of helium hooked up to a plastic bag?
Maybe we could fire Napalitano and hire them? I'm firmly convinced that most average Americans could do her job a hundred times better than she does.
Displacing oxygen to commit suicide. Helium has no pleasurable effects. Deep divers breathe it all the time, mixed with oxygen, instead of nitrogen. Makes you sound like Minnie Mouse. Breathed without oxygen mix it will kill you right quick.
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