Crime & Safety
Alleged Malvern Shooter Faces Judge in Devon
Merritt Dudas will have a formal arraignment in January.
(Story by Bob Bryne and Nate Adams)
Amidst some of the heaviest security ever at Devon District Court, prosecutors painstakingly mapped out gruesome details in the first degree murder case against Merritt Dudas, the 24-year-old Collegeville man accused of killing Malvern resident Drew Ferguson.
Chester County Detectives say 21-year-old Ferguson was found dead the week before Thanksgiving, wrapped in a sleeping bag and buried under a a makeshift couch in a detached garage at the Malvern home he shared with his grandparents.
Dudas, sat slumped over in a chair looking up only when ordered to stand as District Court Judge Thomas Tartaglio ruled prosecutors had presented enough evidence to send the case up to Chester County Common Pleas Court in West Chester.
Members of the victim's family sat just feet away from Dudas in the small courtroom as Chester County Detectives took the stand and described a gruesome murder scene and a killer who took pains to hide his victim but showed no restraint in taking and using the victim's car and bank cards.
In addition to first degree murder Dudas faces several other felony charges related to taking and using Drew Ferguson's bank card in the days following the murder.
Detectives testified that Ferguson was shot in the head and that Dudas confessed to the crime in interviews with investigators.
Detectives also testified that a Honda coupe, keys, spent bullet casings that matched the alleged murder weapon, the victim's wallet, iPhone, and bank card were all found in Dudas' bedroom in the Collegeville home he shared with his girlfriend and her parents.
Amidst some of the heaviest security ever at Devon District Court, prosecutors painstakingly mapped out gruesome details in the first degree murder case against Merritt Dudas, the 24-year-old Collegeville man accused of killing Malvern resident Drew Ferguson.
Chester County Detectives say 21-year-old Ferguson was found dead the week before Thanksgiving, wrapped in a sleeping bag and buried under a a makeshift couch in a detached garage at the Malvern home he shared with his grandparents.
Dudas, sat slumped over in a chair looking up only when ordered to stand as District Court Judge Thomas Tartaglio ruled prosecutors had presented enough evidence to send the case up to Chester County Common Pleas Court in West Chester.
Members of the victim's family sat just feet away from Dudas in the small courtroom as Chester County Detectives took the stand and described a gruesome murder scene and a killer who took pains to hide his victim but showed no restraint in taking and using the victim's car and bank cards.
In addition to first degree murder Dudas faces several other felony charges related to taking and using Drew Ferguson's bank card in the days following the murder.
Detectives testified that Ferguson was shot in the head and that Dudas confessed to the crime in interviews with investigators.
Detectives also testified that a Honda coupe, keys, spent bullet casings that matched the alleged murder weapon, the victim's wallet, iPhone, and bank card were all found in Dudas' bedroom in the Collegeville home he shared with his girlfriend and her parents.
Taraglio ruled that the prosecution had enough evidence to proceed with trial. Dudas' formal arraignment, in which the official charges will be stated, is scheduled for January 2, 9:30 a.m. at the Chester County Justice Center in West Chester.
Though Dudas's formal charges will not be issued until after the formal arraignment, court documents list the following potential charges, all of which have been held for court in January:
- Criminal Homicide
- Murder in the First, Second and Third Degree
- Possession of an Instrument of Crime with Intent
- Robbery
- Theft
- Recovering Stolen Property
- Abuse of a Corpse
Read more about the shooting here:
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