A 53-year-old Wisconsin man, Steven Merkel, has pleaded guilty to the January 2025 killing of his 8-year-old stepson, Michael Meagher. Merkel admitted to fatally shooting Michael by accident while he was showing off his guns and wanted to “look cool.”
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According to Geneva town supervisor Scott Williams, Merkel pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide on Wednesday, August 27. Williams described how Merkel claimed he killed Michael by accident in his Geneva home.
Merkel is set to be sentenced on November 20 in Walworth County Circuit Court. He faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.
As reported by Fox 6, citing a criminal complaint, the incident occurred on January 20, 2025. Local police responded to a Lincoln Drive residence in Geneva after receiving a troubling report: a boy had been shot.
Upon arrival, responding officers were met by Steven Merkel, who seemed “frantic and covered in blood.” Inside the residence, officers found Michael Meagher, Merkle’s 8-year-old stepson, having suffered a gunshot wound.
Life-saving measures were attempted, to no avail. Shortly after Michael arrived at a local hospital, he was pronounced deceased.
Wanted To ‘Look Cool’
That very same day, Merkel spoke with a Walworth County Sheriff’s Office detective, revealing details about the shooting. The man cleared Michael of any responsibility in the shooting, saying he had done “something stupid,” according to the complaint.
According to police, Michael had been shot while Merkel was showing off his guns to him. The man wanted to “look cool,” he said at the time. He detailed how he first showed him a stun gun, followed by a 9mm handgun he retrieved from his bedroom.
Merkel claimed he had taken the gun’s magazine out, saying that he didn’t think the gun could discharge. It did, however, as there was a bullet in the chamber.
The complaint detailed that Merkel pointed the gun at Michael and pulled the trigger, thinking he was going to hear a “click.” Instead, a bang was heard, a bullet was fired, and it fatally struck Michael.
In shock, Merkel called Michael’s grandmother, who instructed him to call 911. He did, which led to Michael being found and him being arrested.
The complaint added that Merkel told police that he had consumed alcohol on that tragic day. According to him, he had drunk “two little drinks of rum and RC.”