Two brothers are accused in the fatal shooting of two people outside Yellow Springs in January.
- Dustin Merrick is charged with two counts aggravated murder.
- Bret Merrick faces five charges, including complicity to aggravated murder.
- Victims William "Skip" Brown and Sherri Mendenhall were shot to death Jan. 15.
- Brown and Mendenhall were neighbors with the Merrick brothers.
UPDATE @ 10:1 p.m. (Feb. 2): The Merrick brothers appeared in Xenia Municipal Court on Thursday, where a judge decided there is enough evidence to believe Dustin and Bret Merrick committed the slayings and sent the case on to a grand jury.
The judge increased bond for each Merrick from $750,000 to $5 million.
TIMELINE: Greene County double homicide
The arrests
Ohio Attorney General’s Office aiding in investigation.
“This is a great tragedy,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine during a joint press conference. “The arrests that the sheriff just announced are the result of old fashioned police work plus modern forensics.”
According to court documents:
- The Merrick brothers reportedly entered Brown's apartment in the 4000 block of Enon Road in Miami Twp. without consent on Jan. 15.
- The brothers were arrested Tuesday evening after a search warrant was executed at a home in the 1000 block of Parnell Drive in Xenia.
- Dustin and Bret Merrick were arraigned around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Xenia Municipal Court.
Credit: Darin Pope
Credit: Darin Pope
The investigation
A statement of facts filed in Xenia Municipal Court reveals more into the events leading to the shooting deaths of Brown and Mendenhall.
During the investigation, a detective from the state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation developed a person of interest named Dustin Merrick, later charged in the deaths. He was interviewed Jan. 20, during which time a 9 mm Taurus firearm was seized.
- A search warrant was later obtained for a forensics analysis of the firearm using a DNA sample Merrick consented to.
- On Jan. 24, the forensics analysis determined the firearm matched three spent rounds found in Brown's apartment.
- Court documents reveal Brown had attempted to dial 911 on his cell phone.
Force was used to enter Mendenhall’s apartment. During a police interview, Bret Merrick allegedly admitted he shot toward Mendenhall when she came to investigate noises at Brown’s apartment. Bret Merrick said his bullet did not strike her though.
Deputies on Tuesday night also seized a vehicle from the home on Parnell Drive in connection to the investigation. Deputies called it a "high-risk" warrant they served Tuesday.
A resident who lives near the house where the warrant was served said a robot was sent inside the residence and officers followed behind shields.
Eric Schultz, who also lives in the neighborhood, said he saw a SWAT team surround the house. A man inside came out, was placed in handcuffs and taken from the scene.
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