The Greenville County Sheriff's Office has announced an arrest and subsequent charges in a 2015 cold case.
At a press conference today, Sheriff Hobart Lewis said 45-year-old Jason "Travis" Merrill has been arrested in the 2015 murder of Cecil "Sandy" Morris.
Jason "Travis" Merrill mugshotGCSO
On October 30, 2015, authorities were called to a house fire at 20 Michael Drive in Greenville.
When the fire was tamped down and the house was safe to search, a body in the beginning stages of decomposition was found in the basement.
Deputies saw Morris had suffered at least one gunshot wound which had proved fatal.
The exact date of death is unknown, Sheriff Lewis reported, but investigators believe Morris was killed before the fire was set, likely sometime in mid-October.
Investigation found the victim's car was missing, along with his roommate, Merrill.
The car was found within one day in Brevard, North Carolina, at the house of one of Merrill's relatives. Merrill, however, was not found.
Sheriff Lewis said while there was concerning information about Merrill, there was not enough forensic evidence against Merrill to get a warrant at the time in 2015.
When the case was reopened, investigators found through flight manifests that Merrill had flown to California between October 18th and 28th. When he returned on October 28, he checked into hotel and kept the victim's vehicle with him. He returned to the home on October 30 around 5 a.m. and set the home on fire.
Investigators also learned that there were 2016 warrants for financial fraud against Merrill for adding his own name to Morris' credit card account. Merrill spent thousands of dollars under Morris' card.
The team of investigators found phone records and surveillance footage, which was able to solidify probably cause.
Merrill was taken into custody last week in Brevard, North Carolina, at his mother's house by North Carolina authorities; he is currently in custody in North Carolina, awaiting extradition.
He has been charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, arson, and financial transaction fraud.
There are little over 100 active cold cases in the Greenville County Sheriff's Office's jurisdiction.
