Dillon James Merritt Gets Life for Kidnapping, Rape, Fire Attempt

Dillon James Merritt, 54, of Many, Louisiana, is headed to federal prison for life plus 50 years after being sentenced Thursday in Shreveport for a four-day reign of terror that included kidnapping, repeated rape, and an attempt to set his victim on fire. U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter handed down the sentence following two separate federal convictions, one for firearms and another for a brutal cross-state abduction and assault that shocked local authorities.

In December 2017, Merritt ambushed a woman he had briefly dated near a Walmart parking lot in Natchitoches, Louisiana. After punching her in the head, he bound and gagged her, stashed her under clothes in his truck, and drove her across state lines into remote areas near Toledo Bend, Texas. For four days, Merritt subjected the woman to relentless violence—beating her with his fists, elbows, feet, and a Maglite flashlight, raping her repeatedly, and dousing her with lighter fluid in a failed attempt to ignite her. The victim suffered serious bodily injury throughout the ordeal.

Merritt was convicted in July of this year by a federal jury on one count of kidnapping, two counts of interstate domestic violence, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine. The prosecution presented evidence that Merritt not only carried out the physical and sexual torture but also possessed and intended to distribute meth during the crime spree. His actions triggered federal jurisdiction due to the crossing of state lines and use of interstate facilities.

The sentencing hearing exposed a decades-long pattern of violence. Prosecutors detailed Merritt’s criminal history dating back to 1999, including convictions for beating his nine-year-old son with a coat hanger, assaulting a former girlfriend, and torturing his two-year-old stepdaughter—actions that led to a 2002 cruelty to a juvenile conviction. In 2005, while out on pretrial release for that case, he attacked a four-year-old boy, breaking a door down and strangling the child. He was paroled in 2008.

Less than a year after his 2008 release, Merritt was again arrested and convicted in April 2021 on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The 2019 indictment stemmed from a 2018 arrest by Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office, who found Merritt—already a multiple-time felon—illegally holding weapons. That conviction added another layer to the federal case against him, culminating in the combined life sentence plus 600 months.

Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook emphasized the severity of Merritt’s crimes, stating the sentence reflects the federal government’s commitment to holding violent offenders accountable, especially those who repeatedly prey on the vulnerable. Merritt will serve life in prison without parole, followed by 20 years of supervised release—though he is unlikely to ever walk free. The case was investigated by the FBI and Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Luke, IV, and W. Kyle Biedenharn.