 Merritt faced six capital murder charges related to the October 9, 2004 firebombing of the home of Eugene Coleman that killed six people, Coleman was another associate of Savage's who became a government cooperator and testified against Savage in a 2005 drug conspiracy case.The firebombing was allegedly retaliation for Coleman's testimony.After a six-month trial in 2013 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania presided over by the Honorable R. Barclay Surrick, Merritt was convicted of racketeering but was acquitted of all six capital murder charges.