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Woman charged with landlord’s murder
Pamela Ann Merritt claimed Kerdachi faked his own death and fled to Africa
A Houston woman has been charged with the murder of her 78-year-old landlord two years after his decomposed body was found under an exterior staircase.
Pamela Ann Merritt, 43, was arrested after a series of police visits to the residence, with Merritt initially suggesting her landlord had “faked” his own death and was living in Africa, Law & Crime reported.
The murder is believed to have taken place around Feb. 15, 2021, during a severe winter freeze that rocked the city.
According to court records, Merritt is accused of stabbing Kerdachi to death, and with the help of a roommate, concealing his body behind the staircase.
Kerdachi’s remains were only found on Dec. 6, 2021, despite several police calls to the property.
Kerdachi’s friends reported him missing after the winter storm. Several days later, police responded to a burglary in progress, discovering Merritt inside the property. She was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
In October 2021, another tenant reported finding large pools of blood, a knife, and a blood-stained bin in the apartment.
The case took a significant turn when a man who had reported the February 2021 burglary told detectives that Merritt confessed to him that she had killed Kerdachi.
Another person claimed to have overheard Merritt admitting to the murder and divulging the location of the body days before it was discovered. The tenant who had found the bloodstains later stumbled upon human remains under the staircase, leading to Merritt’s arrest.
During the subsequent interrogation, Merritt expressed disbelief in Kerdachi’s death, suggesting that the remains were those of a dead dog. She also asserted her belief that Kerdachi had fabricated his death as part of a fraudulent scheme and was potentially living in Africa.
The arrest warrant was issued on May 30, charging Merritt with murder, while another individual, Michael Brown, is facing a charge of tampering with evidence for allegedly assisting in disposing of Kerdachi’s body.
— Ted Glanzer