A grand jury voted to indict Janet Redmond-Mercereau for the December murder of her husband. The Staten Island Advance says after keeping the police waiting for a few hours, she was accompanied by her lawyer when she turned herself in.
Douglas Mercereau was a well-liked fire marshal who lived with his wife and daughters in the Oakwoodhome he grew up in. On December 4, Redmond-Mercereau, a high school teacher, had called 911 to report her husband was shot dead in their home. Prosecutors contend that she shot her husband, then took a shower and did loads of laundry with the bloody clothes. The couple had previously started divorce proceedings but stopped them to reconcile.
Mercerau's service revolver was found "clean of prints" near his body - prosecutors say she put it in the dishwasher. Apparently female DNA was found on the magazine clips, but it cannot be conclusively tied to Redmond-Mercereau, who also had dried blood under her fingernails.
The two daughters were temporarily placed into the custody of a neighbor. Mercereau's family issued a statement saying "We have patiently waited while the NYPD accumulated their evidence and completed their tests. In our hearts, we hope that a fair and just verdict is delivered swiftly, though we know that this too requires patience."
