Woman gets 15 years for role in ex-husband's death, but will spend 1 day in jail due to time served
CBC News | Posted: March 17, 2025 6:42 PM | Last Updated: 23 hours ago
Melissa Merritt pleaded guilty earlier this month to manslaughter in death of Caleb Harrison
A Ontario judge has sentenced a woman to the equivalent of 15 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of her ex-husband, but she will spend only one day behind bars due to credit for time served.
Superior Court Justice Jennifer Woollcombe sentenced Melissa Merritt in a Brampton courtroom on Monday in the death of Caleb Harrison.
Harrison, the father of her two eldest children, was found dead in his bed in Mississauga, Ont. on Aug. 23, 2013, the same day that his shared custody agreement with Merritt over custody of their children was set to end, court heard previously. Merritt and Harrison were involved in a bitter custody battle at the time of his death, court has heard.
When Merritt was sentenced, she was out on bail after being in prison for 10 years due to previous trials.
Earlier this month, Merritt pleaded guilty to manslaughter for her role in Harrison's death just before she was about to go on trial for murder a third time.
In January 2014, she was arrested and charged, along with her spouse at the time, Christopher Fattore, in the murders of three people, Bill Harrison, Bridget Harrison and Caleb Harrison, whose deaths occurred on April 16, 2009, April 21, 2010 and Aug. 23, 2013, respectively.
Caleb was Merritt's former spouse. Bill and Bridget were the grandparents of their children.
Merritt was discharged of the charge involving Bill's death after a preliminary inquiry. She was later found not guilty of killing her former mother-in-law last year.
She was found guilty of the murder of Caleb in 2018, but appealed the conviction and a new trial was granted, which ended in a mistrial. She was to be tried for a third time and was released on bail.
Before that trial began, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter in his death.
In an agreed statement of facts read by the judge, Merritt admitted she knew her partner Fattore intended to confront Caleb about the ongoing custody battle and to threaten him if he didn't grant her more access to their children. She was also aware it could get violent.
Merrit admitted she encouraged Fattore to confront Caleb, but said didn't know Fattore was going to kill him.
Woollcombe said, as a result of the admissions, the sentence was "fitting and appropriate" with the guilty plea to manslaughter being "a product of compromise." The judge accepted a joint sentence application from the Crown and the defence that Merritt serve one more day in jail.
Fattore was convicted of killing Bridget and Caleb and is serving a life sentence.
Sentence ends 'very long and dark chapter,' judge says
Speaking to the victim's extended family and friends, the judge said she knew the sentence was not what they had hoped for, but said a third trial may have resulted in Merritt's acquittal.
The judge also offered her condolences to Harrison's family for the devastating loss and trauma they have experienced.
"Today marks the end of a very long and dark chapter in your lives. And that it will enable you, I hope, to move forward with this part of your lives behind you."
Several victim impact statement were read in court.
Anna Blackwell, Caleb's cousin, said he was a devoted father who loved his children and said she is still angry that his children were robbed of their father's love.
"Over 12 years has passed since the loss of the central figures in the Harrison family and no one has recovered," Blackwell said.
The judge ordered Merritt have no direct or indirect contact with a number of Harrison's family members for 20 years.
- An earlier version of this story stated that Bill Harrison died in 2019. In fact, he died in 2009. March 18, 2025 10:54 PM