A Walworth County judge has sentenced Steven Merkel to 25 years in prison, along with ten years of extended supervision, for the death of his eight-year-old stepson, Michael Meagher. Merkel, now 53, pleaded guilty in August to first-degree reckless homicide in connection with the January shooting at the family’s home in the Town of Geneva.
According to the criminal complaint, police were dispatched to a residence on Lincoln Drive early on January 20 after receiving a report that a child had been shot. When officers arrived, they found Merkel “frantic and covered in blood,” according to the filing.
They were directed to Michael, who was lying on the floor with a gunshot wound. Emergency crews attempted life-saving measures before the boy was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Later that day, Merkel spoke with a Walworth County Sheriff’s Office detective, obtained by Fox WITI.
The complaint states he admitted “he did something stupid, and it wasn’t the (Meagher’s) fault that the defendant shot him.” Merkel told investigators he had been showing Michael various weapons “because it made the defendant look cool.” He said he first showed the boy a stun gun before going to his bedroom to retrieve a 9mm handgun.
Merkel said he removed the magazine from the handgun and believed it would not fire without it. According to the complaint, he walked out of the bedroom with the gun, pointed it at Michael and pulled the trigger, expecting only a harmless click. Instead, he said, it went “boom,” firing a round that struck the child.
After the shooting, Merkel called Michael’s grandmother, who urged him to call 911. He also told investigators he had consumed “two little drinks of rum and RC” earlier in the evening.
The fatal shooting devastated the Town of Geneva community and prompted renewed discussion about gun safety in homes, especially around children. In court, prosecutors described the incident as a preventable tragedy caused by recklessness and a fundamental misunderstanding of how firearms operate. They argued that Merkel’s decision to point a gun at a child, loaded or not, demonstrated a disregard for basic safety that justified a lengthy sentence.
The judge’s sentencing ensured Merkel will spend decades under state supervision. The ruling brought an emotional conclusion to a case that left family members grieving a young boy whose death, authorities say, should never have happened.