DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston has announced the conviction of Tyler Merritt, a 23-year-old from Decatur, for murder following a fatal altercation at a motel. On December 19, jurors found Merritt guilty of multiple charges including Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. These charges stemmed from an incident on January 26, 2020.
The investigation revealed that officers from the DeKalb County Police Department responded to reports of an injured person at a motel located in the 2500 block of Wesley Chapel Road. Upon arrival shortly before 4:30 p.m., they discovered Wayne Cunningham, aged 50, lying in the parking lot with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead after being shot twice.
Video surveillance footage indicated that the shooting took place inside one of the third-floor rooms. The footage captured Cunningham entering the room with Merritt and three others around 3:30 p.m. Approximately half an hour later, Cunningham was seen leaving in distress before collapsing outside. A group subsequently exited the room with their faces covered and left in a stolen vehicle.
Witnesses reported that an argument had broken out between Cunningham and Merritt prior to the shooting. Crime scene investigators retrieved a 9mm shell casing from the motel room along with a cigarette butt containing Merritt’s DNA.
Merritt was located at another nearby hotel where officers executed a search warrant on his room. A firearm matching the shell casing found at the crime scene was recovered and confirmed by GBI testing.
Following Merritt's conviction, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Brian Lake sentenced him to life imprisonment plus five years. The prosecution team included Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney Josh Geller and Senior Assistant District Attorney Darlene Childers, supported by Investigator Tiffany Edwards and Victim Advocate Kaysha Albritton. Detective McQuilkin led the initial investigation for DeKalb County Police Department.
The original report incorrectly mentioned that Merritt was convicted of Armed Robbery; this has been corrected for accuracy.