A man from Wisconsin admitted guilt to reckless homicide on Wednesday following the shooting death of his 8-year-old stepson earlier this year. The tragic incident occurred as he attempted to impress by displaying his firearms.
Steven Merkel, 53, is expected to be sentenced on November 20, the Town of Geneva said in a Facebook post.
At around 2 a.m. on January 20, Merkel made a 911 call, confessing to detectives that he “did something stupid,” according to an earlier report by CrimeOnline. He admitted to showing his stepson, Michael Meagher, his guns to appear “cool,” as per the police report. Merkel stated that he had removed the magazine from the gun, mistakenly believing it wouldn’t fire, even though a bullet was still in the chamber due to his lack of firearm expertise.
The report mentioned that Merkel had fetched his gun from the bedroom and, upon leaving, directed it at the boy and pulled the trigger. He anticipated a mere “click,” but the weapon discharged with a “boom” instead.
Meagher was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Merkel also said he had “two little drinks of rum and RC that evening,” although there was no indication police checked him for intoxication.
