Elbert L. Merrick III was 22 when he was shot and killed on January 23, 2016, in Crestview, Florida. He had gone to the McGrath home to retrieve items from Jacob Langston; an altercation between Merrick and Langston ended when Langston shot Merrick in the head outside the residence. Shanna McGrath was shot after she tried to call 911, and her husband Kevin McGrath was killed after exchanging gunfire with Langston. The family dogs, Kia and Jasmine, were also injured and killed during the incident.

Jacob Langston was indicted by an Okaloosa County grand jury on first-degree premeditated murder charges in the deaths of Elbert Merrick III, Shanna McGrath, and Kevin McGrath, and on two counts of animal cruelty. The Crestview Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated, and the prosecution sought the death penalty, describing the killings as cold, calculated, and premeditated. Langston admitted to the killings and said he armed himself because he anticipated trouble when Merrick arrived. The trial was repeatedly continued, with a July 2020 date noted in court scheduling.

Does anyone have information about Merrick’s movements before he went to the McGrath home or witnessed the confrontation that night?