Richard Merritt, 44, a former lawyer, is wanted for the murder of his mother in DeKalb County, Georgia. He cut off her ankle bracelet and fled. The mother was found "violently killed" on February 2, according to the US Marshals.
Merritt was scheduled to surrender to Cobb County authorities on February 1, after pleading guilty to stealing money from clients of his law firm, as well as mistreating older people, according to a Marshals statement Service. He had to serve 15 years in prison and 15 years of probation.
The charge of elder abuse was not related to his mother, according to one indictment.
Merritt became a lawyer in 2000 and was struck off in January 2018, according to a decision of the state Supreme Court. Merritt admitted in February 2017 that he stole $ 75,000 from a client.
In the criminal case for which he pleaded guilty, he was charged with 34 counts and allegedly stealing more than $ 420,000 from 17 clients. The indictment alleges that Merritt forged the signatures of many clients, then cashed them and kept the money for himself.
