RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A Maryland man has been charged in the 2019 killing of a Korean War veteran who was fatally stabbed in his North Carolina home.
Benjamin Franklin Merritt was found dead on June 13 after a family member called police to check on him.
A few weeks later, police arrested Michael Nicholson, 54, of Maryland, saying he pawned a bracelet that belonged to Merritt. He was charged then with obtaining property by false pretense.
The News & Observer reports that Nicholson has now been charged in Merritt’s death. Raleigh police confirmed Nicholson’s arrest, but did not provide other details about the investigation.
Merritt is being held without bail in Wake County Detention Center.
When police found Merritt, he had wounds in his chest, back and neck. There were no signs of forced entry, and Nicholson was the last person known to be with Merritt two days before police found his body, according to search warrant applications released last year.
Nicholson was carrying a knife in a backpack when he was arrested, according to the warrant applications.
Merritt served in the Army during the Korean War. He mentored at-risk male youth during his career, according to his obituary.
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