WD Merritt: Investigator, Colleague, Friend
July 27, 2020 – Longtime police detective and District Attorney’s Office criminal investigator W.D. Merritt passed away Sunday, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich. He was 56.
He spent 28 years with the Memphis Police Department, nearly half of them as a homicide investigator. After retiring from MPD in 2013, he joined the District Attorney’s Office in the Criminal Investigation Division.
“W.D.’s incredible investigative skills brought thousands of offenders to justice and brought closure to the victims and their families,” said DA Weirich. “His integrity, hard work, compassion and selflessness were unmatched. As a husband, a father, an investigator and a friend, W.D. always did what was noble and right. We mourn the passing of a true hero and friend.”
While with MPD, W.D. spent 10 years in uniform patrol, five years as a sergeant in the robbery squad and 13 years as a sergeant in the homicide squad.
“It is with great sadness that we learned Sunday morning of the passing of retired Sgt. W.D. Merritt,” said Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings. “Sgt. Merritt was an outstanding investigator and a real example of a loyal friend, a loving family man, and a compassionate public servant. There are no words that can fill the void of his loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him.”
As a criminal investigator with the DA’s Office, W.D. assisted prosecutors in preparing cases for trial by locating witnesses, serving subpoenas, performing background checks, securing evidence and testifying if needed.
He was assigned to the District Attorney’s Special Prosecution Unit which handled cases involving repeat felony offenders.
In a case several years ago involving the murder of a child, prosecutors needed to get a short but incriminating statement made by the defendant into evidence. W.D., who was still with MPD at the time, and another detective recorded the statement, but the second detective was unavailable to testify.
Prosecutors’ only option was to call W.D. who was on vacation in Florida with his family. Without a hint of complaint, he got on the first flight to Memphis, stopped by home to change into a suit, and arrived at 201 Poplar where he took the witness stand and told the jury about the defendant’s admission.
The child and her mother got justice “because of W.D. Merritt’s selfless dedication to doing the right thing,” said Eric Christensen, one of two prosecutors who handled the case. “He then jumped on the next flight back to Florida to finish his vacation with his very understanding wife and family.”
CID investigator A.J. Kant has known and worked with W.D. since their first day in the police academy in 1985 when both were teenagers.
“If W.D. was ever in a room of investigators, it was most likely that he was the best investigator in the room, though he would have never admitted it,” said Kant. “The investigators in the DA’s Office have a combined total of hundreds of years of police experience, and without question W.D. was the best among us.”