A man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being sentenced for the murders of three people, including an elderly woman whose body he dumped in a remote area.
The Shasta County District Attorney’s Office announced in a March 26th news release that Michael Merryman received three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 126 years to life in prison.
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He pleaded guilty to the murders of 75-year-old Pamela Castleberry, 41-year-old Cynthia Duran, and 48-year-old Louis Sanchez.
Prosecutors detailed the horrific sequence of events:
On April 26, 2024, Merryman broke into Pamela Castleberry’s home while she was away. Upon her return, Merryman shot her in the head and then stole guns, jewelry, and other items.
He attempted to conceal his crime by cleaning up the blood and placing Castleberry’s body in her car. Her body was later found in her vehicle on a remote property in Bella Vista.
The following month, Merryman asked two people he didn’t know, Cynthia Duran and Louis Sanchez, to help him retrieve Castleberry’s car. Unbeknownst to him, the vehicle had already been discovered. When the three arrived at the remote location, Duran and Sanchez, realizing the danger, “locked themselves in the cab of the truck to get away from Merryman but were unable to escape.”
Merryman fatally shot them through the window. He then removed their bodies and set them ablaze before stealing Duran’s dog, “Bamb Bamb,” and driving off in her truck.
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Merryman subsequently crashed Duran’s truck, leaving the dog inside, and fled into a wooded area. Authorities later recovered the dog unharmed.
Following an “exhaustive hunt,” law enforcement apprehended Merryman on May 22, 2024.
The District Attorney’s Office reported that family members and friends of the victims provided “emotional statements” at Merryman’s sentencing.
Castleberry’s stepson spoke, saying, “My family and I loved Pam. Pam was a friendly, gentle, and caring person. As for the defendant, you murdered my mom and two other precious souls, Cynthia and Louis. You subjected them to unspeakable terror and stole their lives from them, for nothing. You robbed them of the joy of seeing their children, grandchildren grow and flourish. Your actions brought great pain on many of us who knew and loved them.”
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