Today, the defense called defendant Michael Merrifield’s brother, Patrick, as a witness.
Patrick Merrifield invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. I very strongly suspect that this was done intentionally by the defense, to plant doubt about Michael’s guilt in the minds of the jurors. Otherwise, why would they call a witness who they knew was going to take the Fifth?
Patrick Merrifield had allegedly been with Michael Merrifield and Logan Goodall the evening prior to little Logan’s death. The state medical examiner estimated the fatal blows were inflicted on two-year-old Logan between 12 and 16 hours prior to death, while Merrifield’s expert estimated it happened between 8 and 24 hours prior.
It is possible that Patrick saw Michael inflict the blows but did nothing to protect the child, in which case he could be charged with any number of crimes, including accessory to murder. It is possible that Patrick inflicted the blows, though unlikely since he has never been charged in the case and his brother has never implicated him; and also because Michael made some patently ridiculous excuses in his own defense when speaking with police.
It is also possible that Patrick Merrifield knows nothing but invoked the Fifth anyway to help his brother, which is what I suspect has happened. The defense attorney knew that the jury would be informed of that decision, even if the statement was made outside the jury’s presence. It seems like a tactical decision to me.
UPDATE 23 Jan 08: The prosecution called a rebuttal witness, Dr. Clay Nichols. Dr. Nichols is the medical examiner for Richland County, SC, and is an expert in child sexual abuse. He testified that there is no doubt that Logan was sexually assaulted with an object, and that the sexual assault occurred “about the time of death or after”. He agreed with both the state medical examiner, as well as Merrifield’s expert, regarding the cause of death being blood loss from a torn liver, and that the injury was caused by a blow to little Logan’s abdomen.
However, Dr. Nichols also estimated that it took only 10-20 minutes, or at most an hour and a half, for little Logan to die from massive blood loss. That estimate coincides with the time that Logan was with only Michael Merrifield, and thus excludes any other person as the murderer.
The case has now gone to the jury. Michael Merrifield did not take the stand in his own defense. While juries are instructed that they are not to use that decision against the defendant, the truth is that they still wonder why an innocent person would not take the stand to tell their side of the story. I expect a guilty verdict.
I hear Patrick Merrifield was in the hospital yesterday on a ventilator, but as of last nite there was no record of him still being there. Now this may be a tactic for the defense or mabey they are keeping information from the public for his own safety. What a twisted mess this is. Seems as if this family has so many skeletons in many closets.
listen i grew up with these kids, the violence that has been covered up over the years is absolutly mind bogoling. MM and the witness Hereford literilly beat a man within a inch of death. MM has a well deserved reputation a violence and intinidation if u look at his arrest record this will be shown.
Hi, Debbie and witness, and thank you both for your comments.
I had read somewhere that Patrick was in the hospital, but that the hospital wouldn’t confirm it. It’s my understanding that patients have the option of whether people who call should be told they are there. So I guess it’s possible he’s still there, but no one is admitting it.
Does anyone have an idea why Patrick is/was in the hospital?
Witness, thanks for filling us in on that information. It honestly doesn’t surprise me, given what was done to that poor little boy. It takes a certain kind of monstrous personality to do what was done to little Logan, then make up patently ridiculous excuses for how the child got the injuries.
not sure why he is in hospital, i read on the news thread of comments that he possibly tried to take his own life?? that’s what was posted by someone else, wheather it is true or not i have no idea
I hadn’t read anything about a possible suicide, but I wondered if that was the case since he was seemingly a young healthy man one minute, and on a ventilator the next.
YEAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GUILTY!!!!!!!!!!! NOW GET THE REST OF THEM!!!!!
Hello everyone,
Patrick worked with me over the last 18 months or so and to say we are all shocked is an under statement.
I am not from this State so the family’s past I know nothing of. However, Dr. Merrifield was my Doctor and one of the best doctors I ever had.
Patrick was a very quiet person and got along wonderfully with his co-workers.
We spoke very little about his brother and the case. I believe it helped him to know there were people he could sit down with and talk with that didn’t judge him.
My heart goes out to the family of little Logan. I believe justice was done yesterday but it dosen’t bring back that little darling. Little Logan is in a better place right now and will never again suffer from the hands of animals.
Hi, FC. Thanks for sharing something about Patrick Merrifield, since as far as I can tell no one ever said they suspected him until Michael was on trial.
It would be very difficult to be in Patrick’s position, to say the least. I still think he was called as a witness only to plant false doubt in the mind of the jurors. It appears the jurors saw right through it as well.
Undoubtedly Michael Merrifield is a monster. The torture he inflicted on that baby makes me sick. However, I feel that much attention and blame has centered on him. What about the mother? There is no denial that any reasonable excuse for a mother would suspect child abuse when confronted with physical injury of her two year old’s genitalia. Does anyone believe she believed this was an accident? She didn’t care. Her baby went through this alone and died alone because she did not care. You don’t have to be mother of the year to protect your child. There are plenty of addicted mothers who do not allow their children to pay the price for their mistakes. I wonder if Pepper Erin realizes that she lost her soul as well as her child.
i have met mike merrifield on numerous occasions. he was friends with friends of mine from high school (all great people). mike has the reputation of a monster and could tell bye the look in his eyes that the potential was there for something like this to happen. his history of violence and also animal cruelty was well known from all that know him. mike belongs behind bars forever and may god have mercy on his soul. god bless logan…i cant imagine anything like that happening.
just read where Eric Merrifield was arrested. don’t know if he is related to Patrick and Michael but he sure looks like them.