FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — A Fort Wayne man accused of beating another man and leaving him in a dumpster has pleaded guilty to reduced charges as part of a plea agreement.
On Friday, 48-year-old Marcus Merriweather pleaded guilty to aggravated battery, a Level 3 Felony, kidnapping, a Level 5 Felony, and auto theft, a Level 6 Felony. If a judge accepts his plea, an attempted murder charge and a burglary charge will be dropped in exchange.
According to court documents, the charges stem from the night of April 4, 2025, when police were called to a home after a woman reported Merriweather was inside her daughter’s residence despite a no-contact order against him. The woman told dispatchers Merriweather entered the home, took her daughter’s purse, cellphone and car keys, then drove away in her vehicle.
When officers arrived, the woman’s daughter told police that although there was no altercation between the two, a blood smear was found on the wall. While investigators were still present at the home, Merriweather returned in the stolen car…