What did Pamela Ann Merritt do? Houston woman arrested after landlord's decomposing body found under staircase

Pamela Ann Merritt, a 43-year-old woman from Houston, has been charged for the murder of her landlord, 78-year-old Colin Kerdachi. Kerdachi’s remains were found at 605 West Clay Street, in a house where he resided on December 6, 2021 after he had been missing since February, 2021, as per the Houston Police Department. Through their investigation, authorities believe that Pamela Ann Merritt killed her landlord.

An arrest warrant was issued for Pamela Ann Merritt on May 30, 2023, nearly two years after the alleged crime occurred. When the warrant was issued, it was believed that she was homeless. Merritt was finally arrested and taken into custody at the Harris County Jail. She appeared in Court on August 19, 2023. Merritt is believed to have had an accomplice, Michael Brown, who is also facing charges of evidence tampering.

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Pamela Ann Merritt allegedly killed her landlord and hid his body under the staircase

According to the arrest affidavit against Pamela Ann Merritt, authorities believe that she stabbed her landlord approximately around February 15, 2023 with the help of an accomplice before stuffing the body behind a staircase of the house. She lived in the house with her alleged boyfriend at the time, who claims to have heard from the landlord last on February 15, 2021 around the time when a massive winter storm hit.

In the summer of 2021, a new tenant moved into the house, for whom Merritt and her boyfriend were the landlords. The tenant was asked to clean the second and third floors of the home in exchange for discounted rent, and during this exercise the tenant discovered an unexplained bloody mattress, and blood on the floor and wall. In December, the tenant was told that the incriminating discoveries originated from a dead dog.

The tenant, unconvinced, contacted the police, who confirmed that the remains belonged to Colin Kerdachi. In addition, authorities initially became aware that something was wrong with Kerdachi after he went missing in February 2021. They made several visits to the house, during which time they also saw Pamela Ann Merritt, who had been reported for a burglary and had been taken for a psychiatric evaluation.

After the remains of Kerdachi were unearthed, officers embarked on a review of the evidence they had gathered so far, during which time they contacted the man who had reported Ann Merritt for burglary. The man confirmed that Ann Merritt admitted to having murdered her landlord.

When officers took Pamela Ann Merritt for questioning, she claimed that Kerdachi had faked his death and had moved to Africa. Shortly after this, she was arrested and is now accused of murder. Her bail amount has been set at $250,000.