Pled guilty to sexual abuse of a female child

On February 20, 2024, Brandon Joseph Merrill, 40 years old, of Moss Point, pled guilty and was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Calvin Taylor for Merrill’s abuse of a female child from the time she was 9 years old until she was 14 (when Merrill was arrested).

Merrill pled guilty to felony charges of Sexual Battery, touching of a Child for Lustful Purposes and Exploitation of a Child and was sentenced to 60 years with 30 of those years to be served in the Mississippi Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole or early release. Merrill will also be a convicted sex offender.

In February of 2023, investigators with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Merrill after the minor bravely came forward and told of the abuse.

During their investigation, investigators seized a hard drive with digital files depicting various acts of sexual abuse perpetrated by the Defendant.