PALM BEACH, Fla., Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The man accused of killing four family members Thanksgiving Day is being held without bond in the Palm Beach County, Fla., jail, officials said.
Paul Michael Merhige was arrested Saturday in a Long Key, Fla., hotel, more than a month after he allegedly shot his four relatives to death in Jupiter, Fla., the Palm Beach Post reported Monday.
Merhige, 35, who reportedly has a history of mental health concerns and suicide attempts, was being held in isolation in the jail's mental health unit, officials said.
Merhige is accused of slaying his cousin's daughter, Makayla Sitton, 6; her grandmother Raymonde Joseph, 76; and his twin sisters, Lisa Knight and Carla Merhige, 33.
A phone tip lead to Merhige's arrest Saturday by U.S. marshals at the Edgewater Lodge, ending a 38-day nationwide manhunt.
Paul Pfaff said he was watching the Fox network when he saw a report on Merhige, including a photograph of the fugitive, who had been staying at the hotel since Dec. 2 under the name of John Baca and paying in cash, the Post said.
"My husband asked me, 'Isn't that the guy staying up in 14?'" Melinda Pfaff, co-owner of the Edgewater Lodge, told the Post. "I looked and said, 'Yes, it is. Let's call America's Most Wanted.'"
"America's Most Wanted" was to air a segment on Merhige the evening the tip was phoned in, the newspaper said.
An official involved in the operation said Merhige was apprehended after running into the bathroom and being shot with a stun gun when he refused to come out.
