Jerry W. Merritt
Jerry W. Merritt, 59, was a laborer from Augusta whose obituary was published, with services arranged in Winona, Mississippi. He was stabbed at Augusta State Medical Prison in Columbia County, Georgia, on January 20, 2026, and was pronounced dead at Wellstar MCG Health, according to Coroner Terry Norman. Norman listed the death as a homicide, and a murder charge has been filed against another person held at the prison. Online accounts and prior reporting suggest a commissary debt dispute prompted the attack, but officials have not confirmed this. The state prison system had not publicly announced the death almost a month later, and the Georgia Department of Corrections' Office of Professional Standards is investigating.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody. The coroner ruled the death a homicide from stab wounds to the torso, and the Georgia Department of Corrections is investigating; a commissary debt dispute is reported online but not confirmed.
Reported by: Columbia County Coroner Terry Norman (medical examiner or coroner); Columbia County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); Georgia Department of Corrections Office of Professional Standards (the agency that held him).