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crime1d ago
Couple Accused of Killing Their 11-Year-Old & Staging His Death To Look Like a Suicide
- Police say Brigham and Melinda Merrell tortured and killed their 11-year-old son, Moroni Merrell, then staged it as a suicide.
- Authorities found a pattern of abuse in the home and determined Moroni’s death was not accidental.
- Investigators say the father described the death as hanging, but evidence and medical examiners reportedly disagreed with that account.
- The medical examiner reportedly found injuries inconsistent with hanging and ligature marks suggesting other causes.
- Melinda Merrell admitted to adjusting methods to avoid leaving marks on children.
- Brigham Merrell faces charges of child abuse homicide and child torture; Melinda Merrell faces a count of child torture.
- All of the remaining children have been placed with welfare agencies.
- Authorities urge anyone suspecting child abuse to contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline.
- The case was reported after Moroni Merrell became unresponsive and died at the hospital following his caregivers’ actions.
- The case involves a timeline of alleged abuse and the parents’ differing accounts of what happened the night Moroni died.
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