Town of Geneva shooting; Steven Merkel charged in 8-year-old's death

A 52-year-old Lake Geneva man is now charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of 8-year-old Michael Meagher. The accused is Steven Merkel, the boy's stepfather. 

Town of Geneva shooting

What we know:

According to the criminal complaint, police were dispatched to a residence on Lincoln Drive in the Town of Geneva early Monday, Jan. 20. It was reported a boy had been shot.

Steven Merkel

When officers arrived on the scene, they came upon the defendant, Steven Merkel. The complaint says he "seemed frantic and was covered in blood." Officers were directed to the boy, Michael Meagher, who was lying on the floor after having been shot. Emergency personnel attempted life-saving measures -- and Meagher was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.

Fatal shooting at Town of Geneva home

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Later in the day, the defendant spoke with a detective from the Walworth County Sheriff's Office about what happened. The defendant stated "he did something stupid, and it wasn't the (Meagher's) fault that the defendant shot him," the complaint says. Merkel told police he showed Meagher guns "because it made the defendant look cool." Merkel went on to say he showed Meagher a stun gun and then went to his bedroom to get a 9mm handgun. Merkel told the detective he took the magazine out of the gun -- and did not believe the gun would fire without the magazine in it. The complaint says the defendant "stated that he walked out of the bedroom and pointed the gun at (Meagher). The defendant stated that the defendant pulled the trigger and was expecting it to click, but instead it went 'boom,' shooting (Meagher)."

The defendant stated after the shooting, he called the boy's grandmother, who told the defendant to call 911. Merkel also stated that he "drank two little drinks of rum and RC that evening," the complaint says.

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Merkel appeared for a bail/bond hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Cash bond was set at $250,000. 

Merkel was expected to make his initial appearance in Walworth County court on Thursday, Jan. 23. However, his attorney indicated to the court that he did not have time to go over the criminal complaint with Merkel. The initial appearance was rescheduled for Monday, Jan. 27.

GoFundMe for Michael Meagher's family

What you can do:

A GoFundMe account has been established for Meagher's family

The Source: The information in this post was provided by online court records and the criminal complaint.

Crime and Public SafetyLake GenevaNews