Disbarred attorney accused in killing caught in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A disbarred Georgia attorney accused of stabbing his mother to death has been caught in Tennessee.
News outlets report federal authorities arrested 44-year-old Richard Merritt at a Nashville thrift store on Monday. Merritt was convicted in January of settling some of his clients' lawsuits without telling them and then using the settlements on personal expenses such as vacations and sports cars.
He was sentenced in Cobb County to at least 15 years in prison but given until Feb. 1 to "get his affairs in order" and report to jail. Instead, he removed his ankle monitor and fled the state. His 77-year-old mother was found dead on Feb. 2; Her car was missing.
Authorities will seek Merritt's extradition to Georgia, where he's wanted in DeKalb County on a murder charge.
