Janet Mercereau, Staten Island Killing | 05/22/2009 7:45 am

Janet Mercereau Found Guilty for Husband's Murder

Janet Mercereau shot her husband in the head three times while he slept in 2007; couple fought over her weight, lacking housekeeping skills.

By The staff at wowOwow.com

It’s never a good sign when man and wife have constant battles over the wife’s weight. But most women don’t opt to kill their husbands for such criticism.

Unfortunately, that’s what one Staten Island, NY, woman did. Janet Mercereau, the 40-year-old wife of a fire marshal, was found guilty of second-degree murder yesterday for shooting her husband, Doug Mercereau, not once, but three times in the head while he slept on Dec. 2, 2007. The duo, who were married for 12 years, had apparently been dueling over her weight and housekeeping skills - or lack thereof.

"His murder was a cold and calculated execution," Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan said after the verdict. "She then attempted to cover up her heinous deed, laundering her clothes and placing the gun through a dishwasher. All this while their young daughters slept just feet away in their bedroom."

But Mrs. Mercereau’s lawyers insist they will fight the verdict, saying this is just "the first battle of the war," reports The Staten Island Advance.

"Janet is innocent, she is truly innocent, and it will be proven," said attorney Joseph Benfante, noting that jurors were torn because they took three and a half days to make a decision and, until yesterday, seemed deadlocked 9-3 in favor of conviction. She faces 25 years to life in prison and will be sentenced on June 25.

Read more about: crime, Doug Mercereau, FDNY, Janet Mercereau, New York, News, Shooting, Staten Island, US

12 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Sometimes people are mentally abused and not physically abused. I don’t see enough information. I guess the jury will decide. Just because someone isn’t broken on the outside doesn’t mean the inside isn’t shattered.

By S G on 05/22/2009 8:22 am

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Not that I am defending the wife’s actions but when you marry its for better or worse, so if there was an issue with her weight, why not get out there and exercise with her…if he didnt like her housekeeping, then get up and clean yourself. Marriage is a 2 way street…

By C Hardy on 05/22/2009 8:56 am

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I agree SG… there is something they aren’t telling us.

My ex is a cop who loved to belittle me about my wieght and house keeping skills. He left, probably out of peer pressure from his bro’s in blue. What I didn’t realize until after 3 years of therapy was that I was married to a narcassist who was a sexual sadist and who got off on being verbally/emotionally abusive. So yeah, he did me a favor.

So bottom line…. the badge brotherhood, criticism about wieght and housekeeping….. yup $100 says something else is going on that they aren’t saying or don’t want to admit.

By aud b on 05/22/2009 10:13 am

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Exactly. Behind closed door is a different thing:)

By S G on 05/22/2009 2:06 pm

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"’His murder was a cold and calculated execution,’ Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan said after the verdict. "

I’m inclined to disagree. Victims of long term mental and/or physical abuse often suffer from depression. Anyone want to bet that this woman literally was acting on autopilot?

It wouldn’t surprise me to know that a high percentage of the law enforcement population is comprised of narcissistic personalities. In moderation it could actually be an asset to the police force. I know there’s an excruciatingly high rate of abuse in police families.

Aub, I’m realy glad you got out of there. I just wish more parents would teach their girls to take karate or some similar sport that gives assertiveness training. I think it’s an insurance policy for the girl child in many ways.

By Andrea Brandon on 05/22/2009 1:45 pm

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I am all for the arts. Let her do Ballet and martial arts:) Teach girls to protect themselves and have good self esteem:)

By S G on 05/22/2009 2:08 pm

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I haven’t a clue how everything changed to uppercase or to red font. Probably the result of my copying and pasting the first sentence of my post.

Sorry.

By Andrea Brandon on 05/22/2009 1:46 pm

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Andrea….I wondered where the red came from….it was an excellent post…and trust me…it will catch everyone’s eye on here….good for you….happy sailing!!!!

By Libra Lady on 05/22/2009 7:36 pm

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Thanks, LL, I’ve kind of been waiting for someone to tell me about posting etiquette and that SHOUTING is forbidden.

Nothing like good friends, sunblock, and being on the water. No cell phones allowed. I hope you enjoy your weekend, too. Didn’t I read that you were at the lake?

By Andrea Brandon on 05/22/2009 8:02 pm

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Is it my imagination or does it seem women generally pull a longer sentence for relatively comparable crimes?

And while of course she shouldn’t have killed him- and should have left- I too, get a definate sense that there was more going on than what has been stated.

By Sandy B on 05/22/2009 11:46 pm

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In a male run world the answer to your question is yes. It is not your imagination.

By S G on 05/23/2009 8:00 am

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Statistically speaking, women tend to get shorter sentences then men. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V75-4SNGRG8-6&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=04702c6fda83b5a55f4e9907598d48f0)

Though the sentence length is greatly correlated to the gender and age of the victims, which as far as I can tell, no one has properly normalized out of the general statistics.

In any case, I feel for the children of this couple. They’re in for a difficult life.

By R.J.B. Reed on 05/25/2009 2:01 pm