Charges of murder and theft have been brought against Pamela Ann Merritt, a 43-year-old woman from Texas, in connection with the case of her missing landlord from Houston, Colin Kerdachi, aged 78. Court documents allege that Merritt confessed to friends that she had killed Kerdachi, concealed his body under a staircase for an extended period, and then falsely informed the police that the remains belonged to a deceased dog.The sequence of events began when Kerdachi’s disappearance was reported in February 2021, during a period of severe winter weather and city-wide power outages. Following the discovery of Kerdachi’s concealed remains, a detective undertook a thorough review of the case, piecing together a series of suspicious incidents.A significant turning point emerged on February 23, 2021, when tenant Joe Guy returned from a trip to find Kerdachi missing and Merritt refusing to vacate the premises. During this confrontation, Merritt allegedly admitted to Guy that she had killed Kerdachi. A Houston detective re-evaluated the initial missing-person report, scrutinized bodycam footage, and re-interviewed Guy to document Merritt’s admission. Merritt was subsequently taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.Despite Kerdachi’s absence, Merritt remained in the building. Another tenant, Tabitha Pope, raised concerns after discovering blood traces on upper floors, a knife in the mailbox, and a container with blood in a crawl space. Pope had been paying rent to Merritt and her boyfriend, Michael Brown, who is facing charges of tampering with evidence. Contradictory accounts of Kerdachi’s fate were provided by Merritt and Brown, with one indicating his disappearance and the other suggesting his passing.A crucial development unfolded when Pope managed to manipulate Merritt and Brown into inadvertently revealing the location of Kerdachi’s remains. Pope convinced them that finding his body would prevent the property from undergoing foreclosure. This led to the authorities’ involvement and the subsequent discovery of Kerdachi’s decomposed remains. Allegedly, Merritt and Brown were caught in the act of trying to conceal a bloodstained wall on the building’s second floor. During police interviews, Merritt insisted that the remains were those of a dead dog and that the blood on the premises was the result of her cleaning spoiled meat.Brown claimed to have last seen Kerdachi in February 2021 with a stab wound to his abdomen but believed he had gone to the hospital. An autopsy later revealed that Kerdachi had sustained multiple stab wounds. Through an examination of phone records and witness statements, investigators concluded that the murder likely occurred on February 15, 2021.
While Brown was apprehended in March, charges against Merritt were filed on May 30. Merritt managed to evade authorities until a recent capture without incident. She is currently detained at the Harris County Jail on a $500,000 bond.