Fire Marshal's Widow Charged With His Murder

THE WIDOW OF FDNY FIRE MASHAL DOUGLAS MERCEREAU was indicted this morning, charged with 2nd degree murder.

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Douglas Mercereau

Mercereau was shot in the head three times with his own city-issued 9 mm pistol on the night of Dec. 2, 2007.  Almost immediately the police began suspecting his wife Janet because of the surrounding circumstances.  The couple had been separated before and on the night of the murder she had given her two little daughters ear plugs to wear while they were sleeping.  It was suspected that she did it so they would sleep through the gun reports.
See New York Daily News article HERE.

This video news report on the day of
the murder was broadcast by CBS2
Click to play
[MEDIA=103]

An autopsy helped determine that she waited more than two hours after her husband was shot before calling 911. When detectives arrived, she allegedly told them she had just showered several times. Mercereau’s 9mm service revolver, cleaned of prints, was found near his body, and her freshly washed clothes were in the dryer.

Later forensic examination disclosed that the gun had been run through the dishwasher.  Whoever did it, though, left the ammunition clip in it while it was being washed and the lab was able to retrieve fingerprints and DNA samples from it.

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Janet Mercereau
(Daily News photo)

Janet had told the investigators that she had taken pain-killer medicine that night and never heard the gunfire.  The Daily News reported:

Dubious of her claim, investigators used the murder weapon – the fire marshal’s handgun – to fire three live rounds into a reinforced container at 6:30 yesterday morning. The noise was clearly audible in Janet Mercereau’s bedroom, a police source said.

“She said she didn’t hear the shots?” a police source said. “You would have to be dead not to hear the shots if you were inside the house.”

Ironically, on that same day, Dec. 7, Mercereau’s funeral was held and it was widely noted that the FDNY broke with tradition and refused to present the widow with the dead firefighter’s helmet as a token of honor.

This contemporary news report was
broadcast by FoxNews5.  It covers both
the funeral and the re-enactment gunfire.
Click to play
[MEDIA=104]

The children have been living with neighbors since the murder on a judge’s order.  Janet Mercereau is currently still in police custody.