JUPITER, Fla., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Prosecutors in Florida say they will seek the death penalty if Paul Michael Merhige is convicted in the Thanksgiving Day slayings of four family members.
Florida State Attorney Michael McAuliffe confirmed Merhige, 35, could face death by lethal injection if found guilty of fatally shooting his twin sisters, his aunt and his cousin's 6-year-old daughter, The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post reported Friday.
Authorities allege Mehige also wounded two other relatives during the 2009 shootings. An uncle escaped uninjured.
Following the mass shooting in Jupiter, Fla., Mehige hid for weeks in a Florida Keys hotel before being arrested by authorities.
The Post said Mehige was indicted by a grand jury on four counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Jim Sitton, whose daughter Makalya was among Mehige's alleged victims, applauded the decision to seek the death penalty.
"If there's anyone who deserves the death penalty, it is someone who would execute my 6-year-old daughter while she is in bed," Sitton said.
