Lois Merkel 25-Year Sentence For Manslaughter In Chipley Man’s Shooting

BAY COUNTY, FL – A 61-year-old Panama City woman was sentenced to 25 years in prison Friday for shooting and killing a 44-year-old Chipley man in a Holmes County hotel room 2 years ago, State Attorney, Larry Basford, announced.

Lois K. Merkel was facing trial for the May 29, 2023 shooting death when she entered an open plea to Manslaughter with a Firearm on Sept. 22. An open plea means there was no agreement on the sentence, it would be decided by Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts. The charge is a 1 st -Degree Felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Prosecutor Peter Overstreet asked for a sentence at the upper end of the maximum. Judge Roberts, after hearing from both sides, handed down the 25-year sentence to the 61-year-old defendant.

“This was an unfortunate incident between two people where the defendant essentially lost her cool and shot and killed Mr. Hall,” Overstreet told the judge. “The victim may not have been a perfect man and may not have led a perfect life, but he did not deserve to die.”

Overstreet was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence showing that Merkel, who was married to another man, was doing methamphetamine and having an affair with the victim. The night of the shooting the two were in a Bonifay hotel room and had been arguing and using drugs.

Texts from the victim earlier showed he was afraid Merkel was going to hurt him. Pictures he took secretly on his phone in the minutes leading up to his death showed Merkel appearing angry and pointing at him with one hand while hiding her other hand behind her back. Less than a minute after the last picture was taken, Hall was shot.

The evidence and the state’s case was that Merkel was angry with the victim, the victim told others he feared she would hurt him, she was standing over an open gun safe with her hand behind her back arguing with him moments before the shot was fired, and that it was clear she fired the shot. Merkel admitted firing the shot but claimed it was an accident.

Basford thanked the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office for its work on the difficult case.