GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) – The Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office said a Greenville man has been sentenced in a cold case murder case from 2015.

Attorney Walt Wilkins said Jason Travis Merrill, 48, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and arson on Tuesday.

According to officials, evidence presented during the deposition revealed that between October 11, 2015 and October 15, 2015, Merrill shot and killed Cecil Sanders “Sandy” Morris at a home on Michael Drive. On October 30, 2014, Merrill was seen on surveillance video driving the victim’s car, returning to the victim’s home, and leaving several hours later.

Wilkins said that later that morning, neighbors called 911 to report smoke coming from the victim’s home. Fire personnel and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office found the victim’s body wrapped in a tarp and blankets.

Merrill’s DNA was found inside a glove recovered at the scene, which also had biological material from the victim, authorities said. Autopsy results revealed that Morris was shot twice in the back of the head before he was then set on fire.

Merrill has been sentenced to 35 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

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