PEMISCOT COUNTY, Mo. —A jury Thursday found a Missouri man guilty for the 2020 New Madrid County murder of an 18 year old Illinois woman, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
In April of 2020 James A. Merritt, 32, of Morehouse, was arrested on a requested charge of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, according police.
The New Madrid County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office formally charged him with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and tampering with physical evidence after a search warrant was executed at his home on Marshall Street in Morehouse.
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