In a tragic turn of events, a Wisconsin man has been handed a prison sentence exceeding two decades for the devastating shooting of his 8-year-old stepson. The incident, described as an attempt to “look cool” and provide an “exciting” experience for the child, involved the man showing off firearms, resulting in the fatal injuries to the young boy’s arm and neck, according to the prosecution.

During the sentencing of Steven Merkel, Walworth County Circuit Court Judge Kristine E. Drettwan questioned the logic behind such actions, particularly at the late hour. “How is it cool and exciting to point a gun at an 8-year-old boy?” she asked, expressing disbelief at the reckless behavior displayed by a 52-year-old man at around 2:00 a.m.

Merkel, now 53, received a sentence of 25 years in prison followed by 10 years of extended supervision. He pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide in August. The tragic shooting occurred on January 20 at a residence in Walworth County where his stepson, Michael Meagher, was present, as confirmed by the Town of Geneva Police Department and the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office.

Following the incident, Geneva town supervisor Scott Williams issued a statement on Facebook explaining that Merkel claimed the shooting was accidental. This assertion came after police discovered Michael fatally wounded inside Merkel’s home.

Authorities responded to the emergency call at approximately 2:25 a.m., finding Michael with a critical gunshot wound. Despite efforts by police and fire personnel to save him, the boy tragically passed away at a nearby hospital. According to a criminal complaint obtained by Milwaukee’s Fox affiliate, WITI, Merkel appeared frantic and was covered in blood when officers questioned him about the incident.

Town of Geneva police officers and fire personnel responded to the home at around 2:25 a.m. and found Michael suffering from a single gunshot wound, according to a Jan. 20 press release. “Life saving measures” were performed but the boy succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. When officers questioned Merkel about what happened, he “seemed frantic and was covered in blood,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by Milwaukee Fox affiliate WITI.

Merkel later told cops that “he did something stupid, and it wasn’t (Michael’s) fault” that he got shot. Merkel claimed that he took the magazine out of the 9 mm handgun that killed Michael and was under the impression that it wouldn’t fire without it. He pointed the gun at the boy and pulled the trigger, firing a single shot into him.

When police asked him why he was showing Michael the guns, Merkel told them they had been playing video games and he wanted to “look cool,” according to investigators.

“Today is the first that the court learned that the bullet went in through Michael’s upper arm or shoulder area, came out, then passed through his neck,” Drettwan explained during Merkel’s sentencing. “That’s a defensive posture. How is that fun and cool for Michael that you come out of a bedroom pointing a gun at him to the point where he’s scared, he puts up a defensive arm, and you shoot him?”

Merkel admitted to cops that he had pulled out his handgun to show Michael in the past — even pointing it down toward him while ordering him to listen, the complaint alleged. Cops said he “drank two little drinks of rum and RC that evening” before the shooting. Drettwan noted Thursday how Merkel also stated that he “showed Michael a stun gun that he had at the residence and was ‘popping it’ and pointing it toward him as he [Michael] was squirming away,” according to the judge.

“I know that alcohol was involved, although there’s no indication here that he was impaired to the point of intoxication,” Drettwan said, noting how his blood alcohol level was a 0.02 and he had two cocktails that night. “Sitting around playing video games with an 8-year-old, but you needed to drink? But there’s no indication that you were intoxicated.”

Merkel’s defense lawyer told the court Thursday that he “always says how he should’ve done something different, how he should’ve checked the firearm, how he should have not even brought it out in the first place.” The attorney asked for 11 years in prison and five years of extended supervision, while Merkel gave a statement in an attempt to show remorse.

“I’m here to accept responsibility for my actions in this tragedy,” Merkel said. “I’d like to apologize to the court as well as to the victims affected in this tragedy.”

Drettwan noted how she’s handled “a number of devastating cases” over the years, but she believes Merkel’s is “one of, if not the toughest one, because of the senseless and absolutely preventable death of an innocent 8-year-old boy who just wanted to hang out and have fun with an adult in his life whom he trusted,” according to the judge.

“I can’t imagine the pain of losing a child in any circumstances, but it’s pretty unimaginable the way that this has happened to Michael,” Drettwan concluded. “This did not have to happen. It was entirely preventable, senseless, it is something that is incredibly hard to wrap one’s head around.”