GUILTY FL - Three women, 6yo girl shot to death at Jupiter Thanksgiving dinner, 26 Nov 2009

[CarrieBean]

Divers back near scene of holiday shooting

Divers have returned to a pond a half mile from the scene of a shooting in Jupiter where 6 people were shot and 4 killed Thanksgiving night.

Divers are feeling their way through the murky water. They are looking for anything from a weapon to a Blue Toyota Camry, the car that the suspect Paul Michael Merhige was driving the night of the crimes.

http://www.wptv.com/content/news/no...search-wptv-jupit/0MgTO46mEUe9RaII4MtB5g.cspx

Not sure why I was thinking the pond was much closer to the home. Maybe I missed something, but I wonder why LE thinks there may be something in this pond. Was Merhige seen stopped in this area? Is it the only body of water close by?

ETA: I should have read the article better. I guess they're searching any water nearby.

"In addition to the pond being searched at the noon hour, a second, about a mile away, is slated to be searched."

 

[Monaco]

"Sitton said he believes Merhige killed his twin sisters because he was jealous of them. When he saw Makayla was also a talented musician and dancer, he decided to shoot her as well, Sitton said.

"When he saw the light of my little girl ... he's the darkness, and darkness hates the light, and I think he just decided to snuff her light," Sitton said."

This is about the only explanation I can think of for him killing Makayla ~ if there is to be any explanation at all behind his evil actions. :furious:

Seemed as tho he was murdering a generation or two of his family females: Aunt 76, sisters 33, daughter of one of the sisters. Sounds like one of the world's many women-haters.

 

[Monaco]

I am following this case a bit because the girls went to high school with me. I also find it interesting that if and when this guy is caught, some psych professional will say he is mentally disturbed, but this guy may definitely be sick in the head, but he certainly had the wherewithal to evade the FBI and the police and the forethought to plan this out and his escape. This is not a guy who is not accountable for his actions. I absolutely do not think that at this point he is lying in a ditch somewhere...he went through all the trouble to escape, why kill yourself? why not do it on the spot? No, he's running. I hope they catch him because this guy is so evil to just kill that little girl he barely knew.

I am also curious about the parents. They have spoken out or made a plea for his return. Of course, you never know what hte handbook on parenting when one of your children kills the other says, but I would think I might tell him child to come home and be accountable for his actions.

The only thing I have heard from the parents was the article in the Palm Beach Post where the mother seems to blame her son's ability to access guns as the problem, but I have not seen any other statements from the parents.

I wonder whether the parents are blaming themselves for: Mother gave Paul Michael his passport when he asked for it; Father requested the Sittons to allow Paul Michael to attend the Thanksgiving party!

I guess it's not really pertinent, but I wonder where Paul Michael's parents spent Thanksgiving?

 

[Tizzle]

Unfortunately, I think they were there, too, since his father invited him to tag along.

 

[daisy7]

Law enforcement authorities searching for Paul Michael Merhige, suspected of killing four relatives on Thanksgiving Day in Palm Beach County, were in Miami Wednesday handing out fliers in the area of Southwest 22nd Street in hopes of drumming up leads in the quadruple murder investigation.

(snipped)

http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/1384730.html

 

[panthera]

Law enforcement authorities searching for Paul Michael Merhige, suspected of killing four relatives on Thanksgiving Day in Palm Beach County, were in Miami Wednesday handing out fliers in the area of Southwest 22nd Street in hopes of drumming up leads in the quadruple murder investigation.

(snipped)

http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/1384730.html

It seems amazing how he could've totally vanished or gone into hiding without a trace. Where's he getting money to live on? Anyone think he may have killed himself somewhere and his body just hasn't been found yet? :waitasec: MOO

 

[mitzi]

It seems amazing how he could've totally vanished or gone into hiding without a trace. Where's he getting money to live on? Anyone think he may have killed himself somewhere and his body just hasn't been found yet? :waitasec: MOO

Bold mine.

We should be so lucky, but I don't think he is the type that would kill himself.

 

[Monaco]

^^^ I agree he's probably too cold and calculating to take himself out. If he actually said he had "Waited 20 years to do this," then he's definitely a cold one. He could have already escaped to Canada or Mexico, but let's hope not. This is from the FBI website ...

 

[panthera]

Reward for capture of Merhige increased to $100,000

JUPITER — The reward for information leading to the apprehension of Paul Michael Merhige, wanted in the Thanksgiving Day rampage that left four family members dead, has been increased to $100,000.

Jupiter police announced today that the families of two of the victims — 6-year-old Makayla Sitton and her grandmother, Raymonde Joseph, 76 — have contributed $65,000 to the reward fund which previously totaled $35,000.

more at http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/c...ased-to-100-132154.html?cxntcid=breaking_news

 

[CarrieBean]

Authorities: Merhige withdrew more than $12,000 in cash days before Thanksgiving shooting

MIAMI BEACH — Paul Michael Merhige, the man accused of perpetrating Jupiter's Thanksgiving Day massacre, withdrew more than $12,000 from a bank in the days before police say he gunned down four relatives at a holiday dinner — a sum so substantial that investigators worry he may be able to leave the country or remain hidden for an extended period.

Authorities said the amount of money Merhige amassed prior to the horrific attack at his cousin's Jupiter home underscored the extent of his preparations before the shooting and heightened the danger he continues to pose as he remains on the loose
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime/authorities-merhige-withrew-more-than-12-000-in-141355.html


"America's Most Wanted" To Feature Merhige Manhunt

snipped

Host John Walsh held a news conference Tuesday afternoon in Miami Beach with Jim Sitton, the father of the 6-year-old girl who was killed in the shootings. Officials from the Jupiter Police Dept. and US Marshal's Office were also there.

"He tried to destroy their family on Thanksgiving, and he didn't finish the job. Think about this, he could come back and try to finish the job," said Walsh.

http://cbs4.com/local/Paul.Michael.Merhige.2.1385733.html

 

[CarrieBean]

An unusual suspect: Merhige was likable honors student before he did the unthinkable

MIAMI — Before the wanted posters and that terrible night, before the restraining orders and the conflicts and the breakdown that started it all — before all of that, there was a promise, made on his senior page in the high school yearbook, from Paul Michael Merhige to "all 32" members of his family:

"I love you now and will forever."

But forever didn't last.

Now, more than 17 years later, Merhige is being hunted, accused of brutally killing four of those family members after Thanksgiving dinner, and then disappearing into the night; leaving dead an aunt, his cousin's 6-year-old daughter and both of Merhige's sisters, one of whom was pregnant.

The two images are hard to reconcile: The man who police say harbored deep hatred for his family. The boy who devoted his whole yearbook page to them, while his peers used theirs to joke about detention and to "thank god it's over."

The guy in the yearbook, "that's who I went to high school with," said Jacqueline Kirtley, who sat next to Merhige in AP biology. The stuff she's seen in the news? "We don't recognize that as the same person."

How did the 17-year-old who wrote that "I have been so lucky to be blessed with having twin sisters and being your protective older brother" become the 35-year-old who killed them both?

And how did "Mom and Dad, thank you for all that you have given me" turn into allegedly reloading his gun and saying to Dad, "I've been waiting 20 years to do this"?

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/c...erhige-was-likable-honors-student-134254.html

 

[panthera]

I'm glad we finally found out just how much money he'd withdrawn ~ I had been thinking it was a one-day ATM withdrawl. $12,000 is huge in comparison and could allow him to hide out just about anywhere. :furious:

 

[sniperacer]

Do we have any idea why he hated his family enough to kill them?

I understand the mental illness, OCD, drugs and all that. But it seems his target was clearly his family. Why?

TIA

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Do we have any idea why he hated his family enough to kill them?

I understand the mental illness, OCD, drugs and all that. But it seems his target was clearly his family. Why?

TIA

All I have read said that it started about 20 years ago and his hatred was directed toward the sister he killed.

Maybe she outed him about something and he just stewed about it all these years.

imo

 

[sniperacer]

All I have read said that it started about 20 years ago and his hatred was directed toward the sister he killed.

Maybe she outed him about something and he just stewed about it all these years.

imo

Thanks. Yep'ers, I knew about the 20 years quote.

I have the (as you all say) "hinky" feeling someone knows about the family history, but is not saying.

And with all this talk of mental illness, drugs, OCD ......, he seems capable enough to elude the cops.

 

[Tizzle]

Do we have any idea why he hated his family enough to kill them?

I understand the mental illness, OCD, drugs and all that. But it seems his target was clearly his family. Why?

TIA

I think that some of his family may not have been very accepting of his alternative lifestyle. Some may have even disowned him. I feel this may be why he targeted his aunt and her granddaughter. Maybe the uncle was very adversarial with Paul and he wanted to hit him where he knew it would hurt, his wife and beloved granddaughter.

I think Paul is most angry with himself for becoming the failure that he is but makes himself believe the anger is with others who lead more positive and productive lives, like his sisters. I'm sure their parents were very proud of those girls, it sounds as if they were wonderful women and a joy to be around. While I'm sure their parents showed him love and treated him like a son should be treated, they probably weren't very proud of Paul and rightfully so since he couldn't even hold a job and they had to pay a grown man's bills for him. He is not crazy and he was probably well aware of his parents disappointment in him. Not that I think they would ever say anything like this to him, I just think he would know as any adult would. He's not stupid, by any stretch of the word. He is aware.

He is a self-serving, massively immature, cold and calculating murderer. Instead of making a life for himself and giving his parents a reason to be proud of him and instead of accepting the fact that sometimes family members don't like each other, he thought it would be more fun and shocking to kill and now torment his family with his disappearance, IMO.

I mean in no way that this was the fault of anyone besides Paul. No matter what a person's feelings are towards a family member, they don't deserve this carnage. I don't like my cousin. I don't expect to be killed by her. Mostly because I know she is mature enough to realize that sometimes, people just don't like ya. Normal and mature people don't want to harm others because of personality/lifestyle conflicts. Normal and mature people just stay clear of those we don't mesh well with or ignore them. Paul did this because he hates himself and his family reminds him of how much he really does hate himself. Like I said before, I would hate myself, too, if I were him. Imagine having to be him and having to live inside that head? No thanks.

JMO, of course.

 

[Tizzle]

Voice of Paul Michael Merhige heard for the first time

JUPITER--Paul Merhige has beeon on the run for nearly 4 weeks but new video has been released of a much younger Merhige. It's not what hello looks like that detectives need you to pay attention to it is what he sounds like.

The video is of Merhige as a senior in high school. U.S. Marshals say though the video is old they want our viewers to listen closely to his voice in hopes his voice may trigger an arrest.

"My name is Paul Merhige a senior at Guliver Prep in Miami, Florida."

These are the words of the man U.S. Marshals say fatally shot four people Thanksgiving night including 6-year-old Makayla Sitton.

http://www.wptv.com/content/news/no...or-the-first-time/exRH8UBRR0aTcnAkdKEHMQ.cspx

Massacre Suspect's Voice Heard On Video
Feds Hope Public Will Recognize Suspect's Voice

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Federal officials released Wednesday a video of the suspected gunman in the gruesome Thanksgiving Day massacre in Jupiter.

U.S. Marshals released a football recruiting demo video from earlier days, upon which one can hear the voice of Paul Michael Merhige -- the 35-year-old man wanted on four counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. He is accused of fatally shooting four of his relatives -- including his 6-year-old cousin, Makayla Sitton -- and injuring two others after Thanksgiving dinner in Jupiter.

"My name is Paul Merhige, a senior at Gulliver Prep in Miami, Florida," Merhige says in the video.

http://www.wpbf.com/news/22049866/detail.html

 

[Tizzle]

Volunteers to help catch massacre suspect

JUPITER, FL—The story is fading from national headlines. But the police cruiser still
sits in front of the Sitton’s Jupiter home. Jim and Muriel still grieve the loss their daughter. And a killer is still on the loose.

As local police and federal investigators continue to search for Paul Michael Merhige,
who authorities believe shot and killed the Sitton’s daughter Makayla, her grandmother, and Merhige’s twin sisters Thanksgiving night, friends of the Sittons are working to make sure the killer’s face remains etched in the public’s collective memory.

On Saturday, January 2 at 9:00 a.m., groups of volunteers, including many on horseback, will gather at various locations* throughout the counties and spend the day handing out flyers, all of which will feature a photo and description of Paul Michael Merhige.

http://www.wptv.com/content/news/so...-massacre-suspect/b6ciTb5j8U-8W-heKOMLWw.cspx

 

[Tizzle]

Volunteers Hand Out Wanted Fliers For Massacre Suspect
'America's Most Wanted' Opens With 10-Minute Segment On Merhige

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- The hunt continues for the man accused of opening fire on his own family Thanksgiving night.

America's Most Wanted opened its program Saturday night with a 10-minute segment on Paul Michael Merhige.

Merhige is accused murdering 6-year-old Makayla Sitton, of Jupiter, her grandmother, Raymonde Joseph and his twin sisters.

On Saturday, crowds from Miami to St. Lucie County gathered to help track him down.

Mary Ramos said she's on a mission. She was one of the volunteers who went to a shopping center in Palm Beach Gardens early Saturday morning to hand out fliers in hopes that someone will recognize the face, remember something and call police.

http://www.wpbf.com/news/22110456/detail.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday's America's Most Wanted to have details on Thanksgiving killings

JUPITER — The manhunt for Paul Michael Merhige, who gunned down four members of his family on Thanksgiving day, will be featured on America's Most Wanted on Saturday, according to Jupiter Police.

The show, and its host John Walsh, have been previewing the 10-minute segment since early December. And authorities hope that it will provide a boost in national exposure for one of the biggest manhunts in Palm Beach County history.

Merhige, 35, shot six family members on Nov. 26, killing four. Among the dead were his twin sisters, a 6-year-old girl and her 76-year-old grandmother. The reward for information leading to his capture has been increased to $100,000

"Saturday's show will now provide the nation with detailed information concerning this case," Jupiter Police said in a news release, "and through their cooperation we are confident that we will receive a tip that will bring ... Merhige to justice."

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/jan/01/saturdays-americas-most-wanted-have-details-thanks/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fugitive sought in murders of 4 relatives to be featured on tonight's 'Most Wanted'

Fugitive Paul Michael Merhige, suspected of murdering four relatives in Jupiter on Thanksgiving Day, will be the featured story on Fox's America's Most Wanted program tonight.

Jupiter police expect that the broadcast of a 10-minute segment scheduled for 9 p.m. will lead to the capture of Merhige, 35, who is on a list of the U.S. Marshal's Top 15 fugutives in the nation.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-most-wanted-merhige-20100101,0,6189205.story

 

[tntsparty]

Just wanted to post and let everyone know that they have caught Paul Michael Mehrige. The murders occured local to me so this has been a big story around here - especially considering the father of 6 year old Makayla is a photo journalist on my local news. Breaking News says he was caught at the Edgewater motel in Long Key, FL down in the FL Keys around mile marker 60 something.

Just wanted to pass on this awesome news that this awful piece of garbage is caught and off the streets. Now he can pay for what he did.