- December 14, 2025
Of the 25 firearms discovered by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office at the home of William Carson Merrill, a list of 19 was released with the arrest report. Merrill is being charged with manslaughter for shooting Stefanie Merrill, his wife, with an AK-47 assault rifle Feb. 21.
**Click here for previous headlines: (Toddler witnesses fatal shot) or (Merrill 911 call: 'I never leave it loaded!').
Three of the guns at the home were listed as .50 caliber. The list of 19 is as follows:
Stevens model 287N .22-caliber rifle
Iver Johnson 12 gauge Champion
ITI Rochester .22-caliber
Colt .22-caliber Derringer
Remington Model 740
Springfield Model 1903 rifle
Springfield .22-caliber
Mossberg 12-gauge
Winchester Model 50 12-gauge
H&R .50-caliber black powder
Dixie Gun Works .50-caliber black powder rifle
(Unknown) .44-caliber black powder hand gun
Jim Vest black powder handgun
Rossi .44-caliber hand gun
.38 Special, two-shot Derringer
New England firearms 410 shotgun
.22-caliber single-shot handgun (unknown)
Winchester 12-gauge
Connecticut Valley Arms .50-caliber
Because he was a convicted felon, it was illegal for Merrill to have the firearms. According to State Attorney’s Office Public Information Officer Klare Ly, “Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years. He is charged with that and manslaughter with a firearm, which is punishable by up to 30 years. Someone could be sentenced for each weapon, but that is solely up to the judge."
“Theoretically,” Ly wrote vie email, “one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon could be charged for each firearm, and each count would carry a maximum possible penalty of 15 years in prison.
In addition, a neighbor stated that a moving truck was at the Merrill residence Feb. 29, loading the possessions out of the home. The couple's two children are staying with grandparents in Palm Coast. The family's pet dog, Bob Barker, is at the Humane Society for safe keeping.
