JUPITER, Fla., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- A mentally ill Florida man suspected of killing his twin sisters and two other relatives on Thanksgiving Day was still at large Tuesday, police said.
Paul Michael Merhige, 35, of Coral Gables, who allegedly went on his rampage at a cousin's home in Jupiter, had threatened to kill family members before and refused to take his medications for mental illness, The Palm Beach Post reported Tuesday.
Police said Merhige apparently had been planning the attack for weeks.
He bought at least two guns in October, Merhige's mother, Carole Merhige, said.
In April 2006, during a fight with one of his twin sisters at their parents' house in Kendall, Merhige said to her "I'm going to slit your throat." He also said he didn't intend to "go by myself," an apparent reference to a suicide attempt he had made earlier, a domestic violence complaint filed by the sister, Carla Merhige, showed.
Carla Merhige obtained a restraining order against her brother, saying his threat was just the most recent of many that occurred on a regular basis because Merhige has a mental illness but refuses to take his medication. She later allowed the order to be lifted.
Local and federal authorities said they had beefed up their manhunt for Merhige, the newspaper reported.
