November 27, 2025 • 26 mins
Reid Carter takes a dark look at Thanksgiving murders. Joel Guy Jr. came home for Thanksgiving 2016 with a notebook titled "Assets." His parents were retiring, cutting him off financially. Day after turkey dinner, he stabbed his father 42 times, his mother 31 times. Dismembered both. Left mother's head boiling in a pot on the stove. Torsos dissolving in acid-filled plastic bins. Prosecutors called it a "diabolical stew of human remains." Then Florida 2009: Paul Merhige sang Christmas carols at Thanksgiving dinner with 16 relatives. Three hours later, opened fire. Killed four including six-year-old cousin. Said "I've waited 20 years for this."
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Join our new FB groups page here. Take the poll!
Join the Celebrity Trials community on social media! We're building a passionate group of true crime enthusiasts who love diving deep into the most shocking cases in America.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching "Celebrity Trials Podcast" on either platform.
You'll get exclusive behind-the-scenes content, breaking news updates on cases we're covering, and early alerts when new episodes drop. Our social media is where Reid Carter's hottest takes live, including reactions that don't make it into the show.
But more importantly, it's where YOU come in. Share your theories, debate the verdicts, and connect with fellow listeners who are just as obsessed with justice as you are. Did the jury get it right? What questions do you still have? Your comments and insights often shape future episodes.
We cover the trials that matter, but our community makes the conversation unforgettable. Come for Reid's signature cynical commentary, stay for the incredible discussions with thousands of true crime fans who get it.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Caalarogus Shark Media, Good morning, I'm read Carter. Thursday, November
twenty seventh, twenty twenty five. Happy Thanksgiving, Turkey stuffing. Family
gathered around the table, everyone saying what they're grateful for.
(00:25):
Pumpkin pie, football, the perfect holiday for most of you.
That's exactly how it will go. You'll eat too much,
watch the game, maybe get into a mild political argument
with Uncle Dave. Then everyone goes home. Survived another Thanksgiving,
but for some families, Thanksgiving dinner was the last meal
they'd ever share because someone at that table had other plans.
(00:49):
November twenty sixth, twenty sixteen, Knoxville, Tennessee. Joel Guy Junior,
twenty eight years old, came home for Thanksgiving. His parents
were retired, selling the house, moving away, and cutting their
son off financially after ten years of supporting him. Joel
brought a notebook inside a to do list, killing knives,
(01:12):
carving knives, sledgehammer to crush bones, flushed chunks down toilet,
not garbage disposal. Day after Thanksgiving, he stabbed his father
forty two times, his mother thirty one times, dismembered both bodies,
left his mother's head boiling. In a pot on the stove,
their torsos dissolving an acid in plastic bins. Prosecutors called
(01:35):
it a diabolical stew of human remains. November twenty six,
two thousand and nine, Jupiter, Florida. Paul Mahrihedge sat through
a three hour Thanksgiving dinner seventeen guests turkey sides dessert,
then gathered around the piano to sing Christmas carols. After
(01:57):
the last song, Mirhidge pulled out a handgun, opened fire,
killed his seventy nine year old aunt. Both twin sisters
won pregnant, and his six year old cousin, Mikayla, who
just rehearsed for the nutcracker. Witness has heard him say,
I've waited twenty years to do this. I'm reed, Carter.
This is celebrity trials. Today. Thanksgiving massacres, when gratitude becomes rage,
(02:23):
when family gatherings turn deadly, when Turkey Day ends in murder.
Holidays don't pause evil, they amplify it. This is celebrity trials.
Let's start with Joel Guy Junior. November twenty sixteen, Knoxville, Tennessee.
(02:45):
Joel Guy Senior, sixty one years old, worked as a
pipeline engineering designer. Married to Lisa Guy fifty five for
thirty one years. Lisa worked in human resources at Jacob's
Engineering in oak Ridge. They had six grandchildren, three daughters
from Joel Senior's previous marriage, and one son together, Joel
(03:05):
Michael Guy Junior. Joel Junior was their only child together.
Born nineteen eighty eight, graduated from Louisiana School for Math,
Science and the Arts in two thousand and six. Smart kid,
gifted student. Went to college at George Washington University, then
Louisiana State University, supposedly studying to become a plastic surgeon.
(03:28):
But here's the truth. Joel Junior never worked a day
in his life, not one job, not one paycheck. His
parents paid for everything tuition, rent, food, spending money for
ten years. By twenty sixteen, Joel Junior was twenty eight
years old, still in college, still living off his parents,
Still no degree, still no job, still completely dependent on
(03:51):
mom and dad. Joel Senior got fired from his engineering job.
Lisa's salary wasn't enough to support both households. They decided
to retire, sold their Knoxville home on Golden View Lane,
bought a place in Sir Goynesville, ninety miles away near
Joel Senior's family. Quiet, affordable, perfect for retirement. They were
(04:11):
moving in two weeks, and that meant cutting Joel Junior
off financially. No more tuition payments, no more rent checks,
no more cash. He was twenty eight. Time to get
a job, Time to grow up. Joel Junior had other plans.
November seventh, twenty sixteen, three weeks before Thanksgiving, security cameras
at multiple stores captured Joel Junior shopping Walmart in Knoxville.
(04:35):
Hardware stores paid cash for everything, used self checkout, avoided
human contact. What did he buy? Blue plastic storage bins
forty five gallon capacity, muriatic acid, liquid, fire drain cleaner,
sewer line cleaner, hydrogen peroxide, bleach lie industrial chemicals designed
to dissolve organic matter. Also purchased large knives, a meat grinder,
(05:00):
heavy duty trash bags. Smart enough to use cash, too
stupid to realize security cameras would capture everything. Joel Junior
took those supplies back to his apartment in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Then he sat down and wrote a plan, A detailed,
methodical plan. Prosecutors would later call it the Book of Premeditation.
(05:22):
The notebook was found in Joel Junior's backpack after the murders,
handwritten step by step instructions how to kill his parents,
how to dispose of their bodies, how to collect the
life insurance money. One page titled assets. Underneath he listed
his parents' life insurance policies. His father had a policy
(05:44):
his mother had won worth five hundred thousand dollars. Joel
Junior's plan, kill his father, hide the body. If Joel
Senior was missing not confirmed dead, Lisa would inherit everything,
then kill Lisa. Make it look like an accident or suicide.
Inherit all the money as the sole surviving child. Another
(06:05):
page a to do list. Get killing knives, get carving knives,
kill him with the knife. Clean up mess before she
gets home. Douse killing rooms with bleach, bring blender and
food grinder. Grind meat, crush bones with sledgehammer. Flush chunks
down toilet not garbage disposal speeds up, decomposition might melt fingerprints.
(06:29):
One line read kill dog, then crossed out, replaced with
take dog with you. Even psychopaths have lines they won't cross, apparently.
November twenty third twenty sixteen, Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Joel Junior
drove from Baton Rouge to Knoxville, nine hour drive, showed
(06:49):
up at his parents' house. His three half sisters were
there too, one last family gathering before the move. Thanksgiving Day,
November twenty fourth, traditional dinner, turn turkey, sides, dessert, family
around the table. His sisters later testified everything seemed normal.
Joel Junior was friendly, generous, upbeat, no arguments, no tension,
(07:12):
no indication of what was coming. The sisters left after dinner,
returned to their own homes. Joel Junior stayed, said he'd
spend the weekend helping his parents pack. November twenty sixth,
day after Thanksgiving, Lisa Guy went shopping at Walmart in
the Turkey Creek area morning errand run picking up supplies.
(07:32):
Security footage captured her purchasing items, loading them in her
car driving home. While Lisa was gone, Joel Senior was
upstairs in the exercise room, working out or maybe just
watching TV. Alone in the house with his son, Joel
Junior grabbed one of the knives he'd brought, went upstairs,
attacked his father without warning. Forty two stab wounds, twelve marks,
(07:57):
on the ribs, ranging from scratches to complete severing severe
damage to Joel Senior's lungs, kidneys, and liver. One wound
so deep a fragment of the knife blade broke off
and lodged in the muscle tissue. Joel Senior fought back
defensive wounds on his hands and arms, but his son
was younger, stronger, determined. The attack was brutal and sustained.
(08:18):
Joel Senior bled out on the exercise room floor. Joel
Junior heard the garage door open. Lisa was home. He
met her at the door, lured her upstairs. Maybe said
his father needed help, maybe said there was a problem.
We don't know. But once Lisa was upstairs, Joel Junior
attacked her too, thirty one stab wounds, deep, vicious strikes
(08:38):
to vital organs. Lisa fought for her life, but like
her husband, she didn't stand a chance. Joel Senior and
Lisa Guy died in their own home, murdered by the
son they'd supported for twenty eight years, the son they'd raised,
educated and loved, the son who decided their retirement meant
his death sentence. Now Joel Junior's real way the work began. First,
(09:01):
he cut his father's hands off at the wrists, severed
his arms at the shoulders, sawed through his legs at
the hips, severed his right foot at the ankle, left
it in the exercise room. Then he did the same
to his mother, hands, arms, legs, but with Lisa, he
also sawed off her head. He dragged both torsos to
(09:22):
the bathroom, placed them in the forty five gallon blue
plastic bins he'd purchased weeks earlier, the same bins his
sisters had seen in his car trunk on Thanksgiving. Filled
the bins with the chemicals muriatic acid drain cleaner LIE,
creating an acid bath designed to dissolve flesh and bone.
Then Joel Junior took his mother's severed head, placed it
(09:45):
in a pot on the stove, turned the burner on high,
left it there, boiling for over twenty four hours. He
cranked the thermostat to ninety degrees, plugged in space heaters
throughout the house. His notebook explained this speeds up decomposition
and might melt fingerprints. The house filled with the smell
(10:06):
of death chemicals and cooking flesh. The temperature climbed to
ninety three degrees and Joel Junior kept working cutting, dissolving, cleaning,
but during the dismemberment, Joel Junior injured himself. Cut his
own hand badly needed medical attention. He tried to treat
the wound himself, but realized he couldn't, so Sunday, November
(10:27):
twenty seventh, he abandoned the cleanup, loaded his car, drove
back to Baton Rouge left his parents dismembered bodies in
plastic bins of acid, his mother's head boiling on the stove,
his father's severed hands on the bedroom floor, blood everywhere,
the crime scene incomplete. Monday, November twenty eighth, Lisa Guy
(10:48):
didn't show up for work. Her boss became worried. She
was supposed to attend her own retirement party. Lisa never
missed work, never missed appointments. Something was wrong. The boss
called police, requested a welfare check. Knox County Sheriff's deputies
drove to the Golden View Lane house. Knocked, no answer,
(11:08):
looked in the windows, saw the house was a mess.
Called for backup. Deputy Stephen Ballard and Detective Matthew McCord
entered the house. Immediately felt the heat ninety three degrees,
smell of chemicals so strong it made their skin tingle.
Somewhere upstairs, a dog barked. McCord walked into the kitchen,
saw pot on the stove still on, still heating something inside.
(11:34):
He checked the rest of the house first, walked upstairs,
looked in the bedroom, saw Joel Senior's severed hands on
the floor. Looked in the bathroom, saw two blue plastic
bins filled with liquid body parts floating inside, torsos, limbs dissolving.
McCord called for backup crime scene texts. Medical examiner has
(11:56):
Matt team. The house was so toxic investigators had to
wear protective suits to process the scene. They went back
to the kitchen, lifted the lid on the pot inside
Lisa Guy's severed head, boiling. The water had nearly evaporated.
Another few hours and the pot would have burned dry.
(12:16):
Prosecutors would later describe the scene as a diabolical stew
of human remains. Make it make sense. A son who
murdered his parents because they stopped paying his bills, dismembered
their bodies, boiled his mother's head, tried to dissolve their
remains in acid all to collect life insurance money. Detectives
(12:37):
immediately suspected Joel Junior checked his apartment in Baton. Rouge
found the meat grinder in his car trunk, a dog
bone soaking in chemicals in a blue plastic tub he'd
been testing how long it would take for bone to dissolve.
Arrested him within twenty four hours. September twenty, twenty four
(13:06):
years later, trial began in Knox County Criminal Court. Joel
Junior pleaded not guilty. His defense attorneys argued the state
couldn't prove the handwriting in the notebook was his, that
he'd been friendly and upbeat on Thanksgiving, that nothing suggested
he planned to murder anyone. The jury didn't buy it.
Surveillance footage showed him buying the supplies, his fingerprints were
(13:28):
all over the crime scene, the notebook was in his backpack,
his DNA on the bodies, his injuries consistent with the attack.
October two, twenty twenty, after three hours of deliberation, the
jury convicted Joel Michael Guy Junior on all seven counts,
two counts first degree murder, two counts felony murder, three
(13:48):
counts abuse of a corpse Judge Steve Sword sentenced him
to life in prison for each murder count, fifty one
years minimum before parole eligibility. District Attorney charm Allen and
asked for consecutive terms, meaning Joel Junior wouldn't be eligible
for parole until he's one hundred and two years old.
Joel Junior showed no emotion, no remorse, no reaction, just
(14:12):
stared straight ahead as victim's families gave impact statements. Sandie Fink,
Joel Senior's daughter and Joel Junior's half sister, testified through
tears they were larger than life. They were so happy
and such really good people, and they loved him. They
loved him so much for anyone to do what he did,
(14:33):
I don't understand it. Michelle Tyler, another half sister. I
know I will never be able to forgive him for
the trauma he caused this family. Joel Guy Senior was
sixty one years old, pipeline engineer, married thirty one years,
father to four children, grandfather to six, worked hard his
(14:56):
entire life, saved for retirement, was two weeks away from
moving to his dream home in the mountains. Should be
seventy years old today, should be fishing, Should be spending
time with his grandchildren. Should be enjoying the retirement he earned.
Lisa Guy was fifty five years old, human resources professional,
(15:16):
married thirty one years mother, grandmother, attended her son's sporting events,
school functions, college visits, supported him financially and emotionally for
twenty eight years. Was planning her retirement party when she
was murdered. Should be sixty four years old today. Should
be retired, should be traveling, should be watching her grandchildren
(15:36):
grow up. They raised a son who never worked, never contributed,
never grew up, and when they finally said enough, he
killed them. Not in a moment of rage, not in
a fit of passion, but with premeditation, planning a notebook
full of instructions on how to murder and dismember the
people who gave him everything. Some people are just evil,
(15:58):
some people can't be rehabilitated, and some people see their
parents as nothing more than ATMs. When the money stops,
so does the relationship. Rest in peace, Joel and Lisa Guy.
Someone has to say your names. We'll be right back
with November two thousand and nine, Jupiter, Florida, Paul Merridge
sat through three hours of Thanksgiving dinner, sang Christmas carols
(16:21):
around the piano, then opened fire on his family, killed four,
including a six year old girl. Said he'd been waiting
twenty years for that moment. Welcome back to celebrity trials.
(16:41):
I'm Reed Carter. November twenty sixth, two thousand and nine.
Thanksgiving Day, Jupiter, Florida, upscale gated community Jim Sittons two
story home decorated for the holidays. Seventeen people gathered for
Thanksgiving dinner. Extended family friends Jim and Camilla Sitton, the
six year old daughter Mikayla, Jim's wife's family, aunts, uncles, cousins,
(17:05):
everyone bringing dishes traditional feast. Among the guests Paul Michael Meherhige,
thirty five years old from Miami, Camilla's cousin on the
fringe of family life, rarely attended gatherings. Jim had only
met him twice in the past decade. But Paul's father
called that morning said Paul was on his way needed directions.
(17:28):
Jim thought little of it. More the merrier extra place
at the table. Paul arrived mid afternoon, sat down for dinner,
ate turkey in sides, participated in conversation joked around, seemed
friendly enough. After dinner, the family gathered around the piano
started singing Christmas Carol's getting ready for the holiday season.
(17:50):
Paul joined in sang along three hours of fellowship, food
and music. Then Paul excused himself left the house. One
assumed he was going home, thanking him for coming see
you next holiday. But Paul didn't go home. He went
to his car, retrieved a handgun and ammunition he'd purchased
(18:11):
in the weeks before Thanksgiving, over two thousand dollars worth
of guns and ammo, loaded the weapon, walked back inside.
What happened next lasted about ninety seconds but destroyed three
families forever. Paul Mehridge entered the house, raised the handgun,
opened fire, no warning, no argument, no explanation, just shooting
(18:32):
his first victim, Raymond Joseph, seventy nine years old. His
aunt shot dead instantly. Next his twin sisters, Carla Merhrihedge
and Lisa Knight, both shot multiple times. Carla died at
the scene. Lisa was pregnant, died with her unborn child.
(18:52):
Lisa's husband, Patrick Knight, tried to intervene. Paul shot him
in the face and Torso. Patrick collapsed, severely wounded, bleeding out.
Survived but spent three months in a coma. Then Paul
walked upstairs to the bedroom where six year old Mikayla
Sitting was sleeping. She'd performed that night, sang songs for
the family, rehearsed for the Nutcracker performance scheduled for the
next day. Michaela loved to sing, dance, tell stories. Voracious
(19:17):
reader had written a novel about a squirrel. Earlier that evening,
Michayla had made Thanksgiving cards, wrote on each one what
she was thankful for, her family, her parents, her life,
strung them on a clothesline. Paul Marriage walked into that
little girl's room, saw her sleeping, innocent, unaware, and shot
(19:37):
her dead. Jim Sitting, Michayla's father, later told reporters he
tried to snuff out the light. He came into a
baby's room, he saw her innocence, and he walked in
and purposefully killed her. Witnesses reported hearing Paul say, I've
waited twenty years to do this. Then Paul fled, got
in his car, drove away, left four people dead, one
(20:01):
severely wounded, thirteen traumatized. Witnesses blood throughout the house. Police
arrived within minutes, Crime scene tape over the holiday decorations,
Michaela's Thanksgiving cards still hanging on the clothes line, her
rehearsal for the nutcracker that would never happen. The manhunt
began immediately. FBI U S. Marshals Florida State Police Paul
(20:23):
Maherhidge was armed and dangerous, had killed four family members
in cold blood, could be anywhere. A twenty five thousand
dollar reward offered for information leading to his arrest. Tips
poured in, none panned out. Six weeks passed December January
still no sign of Paul Mahrihidge. January second, twenty ten,
(20:44):
anonymous tip led police to a small motel in the
Florida Keys. Investigators surrounded the building. Paul marriage was inside alone,
arrested without incident. During questioning, Paul was cooperative, admitted to
the shootings, said he'd been estranged from his family for years,
harbored resentment, anger rage building for two decades. In two
(21:07):
thousand and six, his twin sister, Carla, had filed for
a restraining order, said Paul threatened to kill her and himself.
She withdrew the request. Weeks later, family tried to keep
the peace, didn't press charges, hoped things would get better.
They didn't. They got worse. Paul's family had a violent history.
In nineteen seventy three, Paul's aunt Salwa marriage Abrams, murdered
(21:30):
her ex husband and two children before committing suicide with barbiturates.
Violence ran in the family, and on Thanksgiving two thousand
and nine, it exploded again. October twenty seventh, twenty eleven,
Paul Mrhige pleaded guilty to all charges, four counts first
degree murder, two counts attempted first degree murder, plea deal
(21:53):
to avoid the death penalty. Sentenced to seven consecutive life terms.
Will die in prison. But why why sit through three
hours of Thanksgiving dinner, sing Christmas carols, laugh and joke
with family, then murder four of them. Prosecutors said Paul
suffered from borderline personality disorder, had failed to establish independent life,
(22:15):
couldn't move on, blamed his family for his failures. On
Thanksgiving two thousand and nine, he decided to punish them.
His mother, Carol had told his sister Lisa before dinner,
I hope he doesn't come and kill us all tonight.
Lisa responded, it came to my mind too, but don't
say that to dad. They knew, on some level they
(22:37):
knew Paul was dangerous, but they invited him anyway. Family
is family. Thanksgiving is about togetherness, forgiveness, second chances. If
Paul Merhiggs didn't want second chances, he wanted revenge. Raymond
Joseph was seventy nine years old. Loved her family, attended
every gathering, hosted holidays at her home. Should have lived
(22:58):
to see eighty. Should have enjoyed more than Thanksgivings. Karla
Merhig was thirty three years old, Paul's twin sister. Despite
the restraining order, she tried to maintain relationship with her brother.
Should be forty eight years old today. Should have had
children of her own. Should still be alive. Lisa Knight
was thirty three years old, Paul's other twin sister, married
(23:20):
to Patrick, pregnant with their first child. Should be forty
eight years old today. Should have raised her baby. Should
have celebrated eighteen Thanksgivings with her child. MICHAELA. Sitton was
six years old. Loved the nutcracker, wrote stories about squirrels,
made Thanksgiving cards about gratitude, days away from turning seven.
(23:41):
Should be twenty one years old today, should have graduated
high school, should be in college, should have her whole
life ahead of her. But Paul Meherhige decided their lives
were worth less than his anger, his resentment, his twenty
year grudge. Make it make sense. That's our Thanksgiving Day special.
(24:02):
Hope you enjoyed your turkey. Hope you watched football. Hope
Uncle Dave's political rant wasn't too bad. Hope everyone went
home safe. For the Guy family and the sit In family,
Thanksgiving was the last holiday they'd share. Joel Guide Junior
murdered his parents day after dinner because they stopped paying
his bills. Paul Merridge murdered four relatives after singing Christmas
(24:23):
carols because he'd been angry for twenty years. Studies show
Thanksgiving is one of America's deadliest holidays. Economic stress, forced intimacy,
dysfunctional families trapped together, alcohol, old grudges, financial disputes, all
simmering for hours until someone snaps. In two thousand and
nine alone, nearly six hundred people were shot over Thanksgiving weekend,
(24:47):
countless stabbings, beatings, domestic violence incidents. Most go unreported, some
end in tragedy. Holidays don't pause evil, they amplify it.
Family gatherings force people together who would otherwise avoid each other.
Money problems become more obvious, resentments surface, Old wounds reopen.
(25:08):
Joel Guide Junior knew his parents were cutting him off.
That knowledge festered for weeks. By Thanksgiving, he had a plan,
a notebook, supplies. He came home not to celebrate, but
to execute. Paul marriage. Harbored rage for twenty years, waited planned,
said he'd been waiting for that moment. Thanksgiving dinner was
(25:29):
his opportunity. Lock your doors this holiday season. Watch for
warning signs. If someone in your family makes threats, take
them seriously. If someone's been cut off financially and reacts
with rage, call police. If someone shows up to Thanksgiving
after being estranged for years, be cautious. Mikayla's grandmother told
her daughter hours before the shooting, I hope he doesn't
(25:52):
come and kill us all tonight. She knew something was wrong,
but she didn't act. Joel Guide Junior's sisters saw blue
plastic bins in his car trunk on Thanksgiving, didn't ask why?
Didn't question it. Three days later, their parents torsos were
dissolving in those bins. The warning signs are always there.
We just choose to ignore them because it's the holidays,
(26:14):
because family is family, because we don't want to cause drama.
Sometimes drama saves lives. I'm read Carter, this is celebrity trials.
Caalarogus Shark Media, Good morning, I'm read Carter. Thursday, November
twenty seventh, twenty twenty five. Happy Thanksgiving, Turkey stuffing. Family
gathered around the table, everyone saying what they're grateful for.
(00:25):
Pumpkin pie, football, the perfect holiday for most of you.
That's exactly how it will go. You'll eat too much,
watch the game, maybe get into a mild political argument
with Uncle Dave. Then everyone goes home. Survived another Thanksgiving,
but for some families, Thanksgiving dinner was the last meal
they'd ever share because someone at that table had other plans.
(00:49):
November twenty sixth, twenty sixteen, Knoxville, Tennessee. Joel Guy Junior,
twenty eight years old, came home for Thanksgiving. His parents
were retired, selling the house, moving away, and cutting their
son off financially after ten years of supporting him. Joel
brought a notebook inside a to do list, killing knives,
(01:12):
carving knives, sledgehammer to crush bones, flushed chunks down toilet,
not garbage disposal. Day after Thanksgiving, he stabbed his father
forty two times, his mother thirty one times, dismembered both bodies,
left his mother's head boiling. In a pot on the stove,
their torsos dissolving an acid in plastic bins. Prosecutors called
(01:35):
it a diabolical stew of human remains. November twenty six,
two thousand and nine, Jupiter, Florida. Paul Mahrihedge sat through
a three hour Thanksgiving dinner seventeen guests turkey sides dessert,
then gathered around the piano to sing Christmas carols. After
(01:57):
the last song, Mirhidge pulled out a handgun, opened fire,
killed his seventy nine year old aunt. Both twin sisters
won pregnant, and his six year old cousin, Mikayla, who
just rehearsed for the nutcracker. Witness has heard him say,
I've waited twenty years to do this. I'm reed, Carter.
This is celebrity trials. Today. Thanksgiving massacres, when gratitude becomes rage,
(02:23):
when family gatherings turn deadly, when Turkey Day ends in murder.
Holidays don't pause evil, they amplify it. This is celebrity trials.
Let's start with Joel Guy Junior. November twenty sixteen, Knoxville, Tennessee.
(02:45):
Joel Guy Senior, sixty one years old, worked as a
pipeline engineering designer. Married to Lisa Guy fifty five for
thirty one years. Lisa worked in human resources at Jacob's
Engineering in oak Ridge. They had six grandchildren, three daughters
from Joel Senior's previous marriage, and one son together, Joel
(03:05):
Michael Guy Junior. Joel Junior was their only child together.
Born nineteen eighty eight, graduated from Louisiana School for Math,
Science and the Arts in two thousand and six. Smart kid,
gifted student. Went to college at George Washington University, then
Louisiana State University, supposedly studying to become a plastic surgeon.
(03:28):
But here's the truth. Joel Junior never worked a day
in his life, not one job, not one paycheck. His
parents paid for everything tuition, rent, food, spending money for
ten years. By twenty sixteen, Joel Junior was twenty eight
years old, still in college, still living off his parents,
Still no degree, still no job, still completely dependent on
(03:51):
mom and dad. Joel Senior got fired from his engineering job.
Lisa's salary wasn't enough to support both households. They decided
to retire, sold their Knoxville home on Golden View Lane,
bought a place in Sir Goynesville, ninety miles away near
Joel Senior's family. Quiet, affordable, perfect for retirement. They were
(04:11):
moving in two weeks, and that meant cutting Joel Junior
off financially. No more tuition payments, no more rent checks,
no more cash. He was twenty eight. Time to get
a job, Time to grow up. Joel Junior had other plans.
November seventh, twenty sixteen, three weeks before Thanksgiving, security cameras
at multiple stores captured Joel Junior shopping Walmart in Knoxville.
(04:35):
Hardware stores paid cash for everything, used self checkout, avoided
human contact. What did he buy? Blue plastic storage bins
forty five gallon capacity, muriatic acid, liquid, fire drain cleaner,
sewer line cleaner, hydrogen peroxide, bleach lie industrial chemicals designed
to dissolve organic matter. Also purchased large knives, a meat grinder,
(05:00):
heavy duty trash bags. Smart enough to use cash, too
stupid to realize security cameras would capture everything. Joel Junior
took those supplies back to his apartment in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Then he sat down and wrote a plan, A detailed,
methodical plan. Prosecutors would later call it the Book of Premeditation.
(05:22):
The notebook was found in Joel Junior's backpack after the murders,
handwritten step by step instructions how to kill his parents,
how to dispose of their bodies, how to collect the
life insurance money. One page titled assets. Underneath he listed
his parents' life insurance policies. His father had a policy
(05:44):
his mother had won worth five hundred thousand dollars. Joel
Junior's plan, kill his father, hide the body. If Joel
Senior was missing not confirmed dead, Lisa would inherit everything,
then kill Lisa. Make it look like an accident or suicide.
Inherit all the money as the sole surviving child. Another
(06:05):
page a to do list. Get killing knives, get carving knives,
kill him with the knife. Clean up mess before she
gets home. Douse killing rooms with bleach, bring blender and
food grinder. Grind meat, crush bones with sledgehammer. Flush chunks
down toilet not garbage disposal speeds up, decomposition might melt fingerprints.
(06:29):
One line read kill dog, then crossed out, replaced with
take dog with you. Even psychopaths have lines they won't cross, apparently.
November twenty third twenty sixteen, Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Joel Junior
drove from Baton Rouge to Knoxville, nine hour drive, showed
(06:49):
up at his parents' house. His three half sisters were
there too, one last family gathering before the move. Thanksgiving Day,
November twenty fourth, traditional dinner, turn turkey, sides, dessert, family
around the table. His sisters later testified everything seemed normal.
Joel Junior was friendly, generous, upbeat, no arguments, no tension,
(07:12):
no indication of what was coming. The sisters left after dinner,
returned to their own homes. Joel Junior stayed, said he'd
spend the weekend helping his parents pack. November twenty sixth,
day after Thanksgiving, Lisa Guy went shopping at Walmart in
the Turkey Creek area morning errand run picking up supplies.
(07:32):
Security footage captured her purchasing items, loading them in her
car driving home. While Lisa was gone, Joel Senior was
upstairs in the exercise room, working out or maybe just
watching TV. Alone in the house with his son, Joel
Junior grabbed one of the knives he'd brought, went upstairs,
attacked his father without warning. Forty two stab wounds, twelve marks,
(07:57):
on the ribs, ranging from scratches to complete severing severe
damage to Joel Senior's lungs, kidneys, and liver. One wound
so deep a fragment of the knife blade broke off
and lodged in the muscle tissue. Joel Senior fought back
defensive wounds on his hands and arms, but his son
was younger, stronger, determined. The attack was brutal and sustained.
(08:18):
Joel Senior bled out on the exercise room floor. Joel
Junior heard the garage door open. Lisa was home. He
met her at the door, lured her upstairs. Maybe said
his father needed help, maybe said there was a problem.
We don't know. But once Lisa was upstairs, Joel Junior
attacked her too, thirty one stab wounds, deep, vicious strikes
(08:38):
to vital organs. Lisa fought for her life, but like
her husband, she didn't stand a chance. Joel Senior and
Lisa Guy died in their own home, murdered by the
son they'd supported for twenty eight years, the son they'd raised,
educated and loved, the son who decided their retirement meant
his death sentence. Now Joel Junior's real way the work began. First,
(09:01):
he cut his father's hands off at the wrists, severed
his arms at the shoulders, sawed through his legs at
the hips, severed his right foot at the ankle, left
it in the exercise room. Then he did the same
to his mother, hands, arms, legs, but with Lisa, he
also sawed off her head. He dragged both torsos to
(09:22):
the bathroom, placed them in the forty five gallon blue
plastic bins he'd purchased weeks earlier, the same bins his
sisters had seen in his car trunk on Thanksgiving. Filled
the bins with the chemicals muriatic acid drain cleaner LIE,
creating an acid bath designed to dissolve flesh and bone.
Then Joel Junior took his mother's severed head, placed it
(09:45):
in a pot on the stove, turned the burner on high,
left it there, boiling for over twenty four hours. He
cranked the thermostat to ninety degrees, plugged in space heaters
throughout the house. His notebook explained this speeds up decomposition
and might melt fingerprints. The house filled with the smell
(10:06):
of death chemicals and cooking flesh. The temperature climbed to
ninety three degrees and Joel Junior kept working cutting, dissolving, cleaning,
but during the dismemberment, Joel Junior injured himself. Cut his
own hand badly needed medical attention. He tried to treat
the wound himself, but realized he couldn't, so Sunday, November
(10:27):
twenty seventh, he abandoned the cleanup, loaded his car, drove
back to Baton Rouge left his parents dismembered bodies in
plastic bins of acid, his mother's head boiling on the stove,
his father's severed hands on the bedroom floor, blood everywhere,
the crime scene incomplete. Monday, November twenty eighth, Lisa Guy
(10:48):
didn't show up for work. Her boss became worried. She
was supposed to attend her own retirement party. Lisa never
missed work, never missed appointments. Something was wrong. The boss
called police, requested a welfare check. Knox County Sheriff's deputies
drove to the Golden View Lane house. Knocked, no answer,
(11:08):
looked in the windows, saw the house was a mess.
Called for backup. Deputy Stephen Ballard and Detective Matthew McCord
entered the house. Immediately felt the heat ninety three degrees,
smell of chemicals so strong it made their skin tingle.
Somewhere upstairs, a dog barked. McCord walked into the kitchen,
saw pot on the stove still on, still heating something inside.
(11:34):
He checked the rest of the house first, walked upstairs,
looked in the bedroom, saw Joel Senior's severed hands on
the floor. Looked in the bathroom, saw two blue plastic
bins filled with liquid body parts floating inside, torsos, limbs dissolving.
McCord called for backup crime scene texts. Medical examiner has
(11:56):
Matt team. The house was so toxic investigators had to
wear protective suits to process the scene. They went back
to the kitchen, lifted the lid on the pot inside
Lisa Guy's severed head, boiling. The water had nearly evaporated.
Another few hours and the pot would have burned dry.
(12:16):
Prosecutors would later describe the scene as a diabolical stew
of human remains. Make it make sense. A son who
murdered his parents because they stopped paying his bills, dismembered
their bodies, boiled his mother's head, tried to dissolve their
remains in acid all to collect life insurance money. Detectives
(12:37):
immediately suspected Joel Junior checked his apartment in Baton. Rouge
found the meat grinder in his car trunk, a dog
bone soaking in chemicals in a blue plastic tub he'd
been testing how long it would take for bone to dissolve.
Arrested him within twenty four hours. September twenty, twenty four
(13:06):
years later, trial began in Knox County Criminal Court. Joel
Junior pleaded not guilty. His defense attorneys argued the state
couldn't prove the handwriting in the notebook was his, that
he'd been friendly and upbeat on Thanksgiving, that nothing suggested
he planned to murder anyone. The jury didn't buy it.
Surveillance footage showed him buying the supplies, his fingerprints were
(13:28):
all over the crime scene, the notebook was in his backpack,
his DNA on the bodies, his injuries consistent with the attack.
October two, twenty twenty, after three hours of deliberation, the
jury convicted Joel Michael Guy Junior on all seven counts,
two counts first degree murder, two counts felony murder, three
(13:48):
counts abuse of a corpse Judge Steve Sword sentenced him
to life in prison for each murder count, fifty one
years minimum before parole eligibility. District Attorney charm Allen and
asked for consecutive terms, meaning Joel Junior wouldn't be eligible
for parole until he's one hundred and two years old.
Joel Junior showed no emotion, no remorse, no reaction, just
(14:12):
stared straight ahead as victim's families gave impact statements. Sandie Fink,
Joel Senior's daughter and Joel Junior's half sister, testified through
tears they were larger than life. They were so happy
and such really good people, and they loved him. They
loved him so much for anyone to do what he did,
(14:33):
I don't understand it. Michelle Tyler, another half sister. I
know I will never be able to forgive him for
the trauma he caused this family. Joel Guy Senior was
sixty one years old, pipeline engineer, married thirty one years,
father to four children, grandfather to six, worked hard his
(14:56):
entire life, saved for retirement, was two weeks away from
moving to his dream home in the mountains. Should be
seventy years old today, should be fishing, Should be spending
time with his grandchildren. Should be enjoying the retirement he earned.
Lisa Guy was fifty five years old, human resources professional,
(15:16):
married thirty one years mother, grandmother, attended her son's sporting events,
school functions, college visits, supported him financially and emotionally for
twenty eight years. Was planning her retirement party when she
was murdered. Should be sixty four years old today. Should
be retired, should be traveling, should be watching her grandchildren
(15:36):
grow up. They raised a son who never worked, never contributed,
never grew up, and when they finally said enough, he
killed them. Not in a moment of rage, not in
a fit of passion, but with premeditation, planning a notebook
full of instructions on how to murder and dismember the
people who gave him everything. Some people are just evil,
(15:58):
some people can't be rehabilitated, and some people see their
parents as nothing more than ATMs. When the money stops,
so does the relationship. Rest in peace, Joel and Lisa Guy.
Someone has to say your names. We'll be right back
with November two thousand and nine, Jupiter, Florida, Paul Merridge
sat through three hours of Thanksgiving dinner, sang Christmas carols
(16:21):
around the piano, then opened fire on his family, killed four,
including a six year old girl. Said he'd been waiting
twenty years for that moment. Welcome back to celebrity trials.
(16:41):
I'm Reed Carter. November twenty sixth, two thousand and nine.
Thanksgiving Day, Jupiter, Florida, upscale gated community Jim Sittons two
story home decorated for the holidays. Seventeen people gathered for
Thanksgiving dinner. Extended family friends Jim and Camilla Sitton, the
six year old daughter Mikayla, Jim's wife's family, aunts, uncles, cousins,
(17:05):
everyone bringing dishes traditional feast. Among the guests Paul Michael Meherhige,
thirty five years old from Miami, Camilla's cousin on the
fringe of family life, rarely attended gatherings. Jim had only
met him twice in the past decade. But Paul's father
called that morning said Paul was on his way needed directions.
(17:28):
Jim thought little of it. More the merrier extra place
at the table. Paul arrived mid afternoon, sat down for dinner,
ate turkey in sides, participated in conversation joked around, seemed
friendly enough. After dinner, the family gathered around the piano
started singing Christmas Carol's getting ready for the holiday season.
(17:50):
Paul joined in sang along three hours of fellowship, food
and music. Then Paul excused himself left the house. One
assumed he was going home, thanking him for coming see
you next holiday. But Paul didn't go home. He went
to his car, retrieved a handgun and ammunition he'd purchased
(18:11):
in the weeks before Thanksgiving, over two thousand dollars worth
of guns and ammo, loaded the weapon, walked back inside.
What happened next lasted about ninety seconds but destroyed three
families forever. Paul Mehridge entered the house, raised the handgun,
opened fire, no warning, no argument, no explanation, just shooting
(18:32):
his first victim, Raymond Joseph, seventy nine years old. His
aunt shot dead instantly. Next his twin sisters, Carla Merhrihedge
and Lisa Knight, both shot multiple times. Carla died at
the scene. Lisa was pregnant, died with her unborn child.
(18:52):
Lisa's husband, Patrick Knight, tried to intervene. Paul shot him
in the face and Torso. Patrick collapsed, severely wounded, bleeding out.
Survived but spent three months in a coma. Then Paul
walked upstairs to the bedroom where six year old Mikayla
Sitting was sleeping. She'd performed that night, sang songs for
the family, rehearsed for the Nutcracker performance scheduled for the
next day. Michaela loved to sing, dance, tell stories. Voracious
(19:17):
reader had written a novel about a squirrel. Earlier that evening,
Michayla had made Thanksgiving cards, wrote on each one what
she was thankful for, her family, her parents, her life,
strung them on a clothesline. Paul Marriage walked into that
little girl's room, saw her sleeping, innocent, unaware, and shot
(19:37):
her dead. Jim Sitting, Michayla's father, later told reporters he
tried to snuff out the light. He came into a
baby's room, he saw her innocence, and he walked in
and purposefully killed her. Witnesses reported hearing Paul say, I've
waited twenty years to do this. Then Paul fled, got
in his car, drove away, left four people dead, one
(20:01):
severely wounded, thirteen traumatized. Witnesses blood throughout the house. Police
arrived within minutes, Crime scene tape over the holiday decorations,
Michaela's Thanksgiving cards still hanging on the clothes line, her
rehearsal for the nutcracker that would never happen. The manhunt
began immediately. FBI U S. Marshals Florida State Police Paul
(20:23):
Maherhidge was armed and dangerous, had killed four family members
in cold blood, could be anywhere. A twenty five thousand
dollar reward offered for information leading to his arrest. Tips
poured in, none panned out. Six weeks passed December January
still no sign of Paul Mahrihidge. January second, twenty ten,
(20:44):
anonymous tip led police to a small motel in the
Florida Keys. Investigators surrounded the building. Paul marriage was inside alone,
arrested without incident. During questioning, Paul was cooperative, admitted to
the shootings, said he'd been estranged from his family for years,
harbored resentment, anger rage building for two decades. In two
(21:07):
thousand and six, his twin sister, Carla, had filed for
a restraining order, said Paul threatened to kill her and himself.
She withdrew the request. Weeks later, family tried to keep
the peace, didn't press charges, hoped things would get better.
They didn't. They got worse. Paul's family had a violent history.
In nineteen seventy three, Paul's aunt Salwa marriage Abrams, murdered
(21:30):
her ex husband and two children before committing suicide with barbiturates.
Violence ran in the family, and on Thanksgiving two thousand
and nine, it exploded again. October twenty seventh, twenty eleven,
Paul Mrhige pleaded guilty to all charges, four counts first
degree murder, two counts attempted first degree murder, plea deal
(21:53):
to avoid the death penalty. Sentenced to seven consecutive life terms.
Will die in prison. But why why sit through three
hours of Thanksgiving dinner, sing Christmas carols, laugh and joke
with family, then murder four of them. Prosecutors said Paul
suffered from borderline personality disorder, had failed to establish independent life,
(22:15):
couldn't move on, blamed his family for his failures. On
Thanksgiving two thousand and nine, he decided to punish them.
His mother, Carol had told his sister Lisa before dinner,
I hope he doesn't come and kill us all tonight.
Lisa responded, it came to my mind too, but don't
say that to dad. They knew, on some level they
(22:37):
knew Paul was dangerous, but they invited him anyway. Family
is family. Thanksgiving is about togetherness, forgiveness, second chances. If
Paul Merhiggs didn't want second chances, he wanted revenge. Raymond
Joseph was seventy nine years old. Loved her family, attended
every gathering, hosted holidays at her home. Should have lived
(22:58):
to see eighty. Should have enjoyed more than Thanksgivings. Karla
Merhig was thirty three years old, Paul's twin sister. Despite
the restraining order, she tried to maintain relationship with her brother.
Should be forty eight years old today. Should have had
children of her own. Should still be alive. Lisa Knight
was thirty three years old, Paul's other twin sister, married
(23:20):
to Patrick, pregnant with their first child. Should be forty
eight years old today. Should have raised her baby. Should
have celebrated eighteen Thanksgivings with her child. MICHAELA. Sitton was
six years old. Loved the nutcracker, wrote stories about squirrels,
made Thanksgiving cards about gratitude, days away from turning seven.
(23:41):
Should be twenty one years old today, should have graduated
high school, should be in college, should have her whole
life ahead of her. But Paul Meherhige decided their lives
were worth less than his anger, his resentment, his twenty
year grudge. Make it make sense. That's our Thanksgiving Day special.
(24:02):
Hope you enjoyed your turkey. Hope you watched football. Hope
Uncle Dave's political rant wasn't too bad. Hope everyone went
home safe. For the Guy family and the sit In family,
Thanksgiving was the last holiday they'd share. Joel Guide Junior
murdered his parents day after dinner because they stopped paying
his bills. Paul Merridge murdered four relatives after singing Christmas
(24:23):
carols because he'd been angry for twenty years. Studies show
Thanksgiving is one of America's deadliest holidays. Economic stress, forced intimacy,
dysfunctional families trapped together, alcohol, old grudges, financial disputes, all
simmering for hours until someone snaps. In two thousand and
nine alone, nearly six hundred people were shot over Thanksgiving weekend,
(24:47):
countless stabbings, beatings, domestic violence incidents. Most go unreported, some
end in tragedy. Holidays don't pause evil, they amplify it.
Family gatherings force people together who would otherwise avoid each other.
Money problems become more obvious, resentments surface, Old wounds reopen.
(25:08):
Joel Guide Junior knew his parents were cutting him off.
That knowledge festered for weeks. By Thanksgiving, he had a plan,
a notebook, supplies. He came home not to celebrate, but
to execute. Paul marriage. Harbored rage for twenty years, waited planned,
said he'd been waiting for that moment. Thanksgiving dinner was
(25:29):
his opportunity. Lock your doors this holiday season. Watch for
warning signs. If someone in your family makes threats, take
them seriously. If someone's been cut off financially and reacts
with rage, call police. If someone shows up to Thanksgiving
after being estranged for years, be cautious. Mikayla's grandmother told
her daughter hours before the shooting, I hope he doesn't
(25:52):
come and kill us all tonight. She knew something was wrong,
but she didn't act. Joel Guide Junior's sisters saw blue
plastic bins in his car trunk on Thanksgiving, didn't ask why?
Didn't question it. Three days later, their parents torsos were
dissolving in those bins. The warning signs are always there.
We just choose to ignore them because it's the holidays,
(26:14):
because family is family, because we don't want to cause drama.
Sometimes drama saves lives. I'm read Carter, this is celebrity trials.
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