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  No suspect named one week after murder, victim’s son still in custody web posted June 30, 2008  EDGEFIELD – One full
week after the June
22 murder of 60-year-old Raymond Merriweather, of Courtney Road
Trenton, Sheriff’s Investigators are still waiting to file formal
charges in the case. Sheriff’s Chief Investigator Randy Doran said last
week that blood and fingerprint evidence was still being processed in
the case and results are not expected until this week. A “person of
interest” is in custody but, “until I can put him in the house, we’re
going to wait to charge him,” Inv. Doran said last week.The murder took place sometime between 11 am and 3 pm Sunday June 22. Mrs. Merriweather left for church around 11 am and all was well at the family home. Another individual spoke with Mr. Merriweather a short time later. He was found bound and shot when his wife returned around 3 pm. Edgefield County Coroner Thurmond Burnett said shortly after the murder that Mr. Merriweather had been dead approximately one hour before the discovery placing the time of death approximately between 12 noon and 2 pm. The scene, covered in blood, and several lacerations and abrasions to Mr. Merriwetheater’s face indicate a violent altercation. A stick, which also had bloodstains, was recovered from the home. Merriweather’s body was found with his hands tied behind his back with a phone cord and he was shot twice in the head with a .38 caliber weapon. Both bullets have been recovered. Additional ammunition found at the home was also taken into evidence for comparison. Investigators recovered a .22 caliber pistol at the scene the day of the murder but Inv. Doran said it was not the murder weapon. Authorities have searched the home and the surrounding area in an effort to locate a .38 caliber pistol that belonged to Mr. Merriweather, which has been missing since the murder.  The couple’s son,
Phillip Anthony Merriweather, 30, (Left) was taken into
custody during the early stages of the investigation and is still being
held at the Edgefield County Detention Center on charges of disorderly
conduct and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Those
charges stem from an incident that occurred as family and friends
gathered across the street after the murder and tempers flared. He is
being held with no bond jail officials said Sunday.Phillip Merriweather has not been named as a suspect at this time. Inv. Doran did confirm last week that a search warrant was executed midweek at his home, also on Courtney Road, a short distance away from the murder scene. What evidence, if any, collected was not released with the exception that the missing .38 caliber pistol has not been recovered as of Friday. Authorities will continue to search for the gun as the investigation continues. A worry is that children in the area, out of school for the summer, may stumble upon the gun and decide to play with it and hurt themselves or someone else. The missing gun could still be loaded. Parents who live in the rural area should inform their children that may play in the nearby woods along Courtney Road or the surrounding area, if they discover a gun, do not touch it, and notify their parents or police immediately by calling 911. A nearby body of water, Lake Trenton, has not been included in the search area at this time. No motive for the killing has been established. Inv. Doran said Friday that he hoped to be able to file a formal murder charge by midweek. Additional charges would also be filed in association to the murder. Related Articles No suspect named in Sunday’s murder Murder investigation continues Trenton man found murdered Sunday afternoon ©
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