Bullets fly into sleeping family’s home in escalating dispute with handyman, feds say

A Texas family awoke to gunfire and bullets ripping through their home — and a feuding handyman was pulling the trigger, federal officials say.

Jason Jaime Merdes, 44, is accused of targeting the family in a drive-by shooting, which stemmed from a dispute with the homeowner over a repair job, according to a Dec. 6 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

Investigators say Merdes had been hired to do a home repair, but when he didn’t finish the project, the homeowner “sent legal notice to him,” according to the release.

Officers with the Corpus Christi Police Department responded to a call about the shooting at 3 a.m. on May 14 and arrived to find shell casings littering the ground and bullet holes dotting the house.

Several shots came distressingly close to hitting their children, the family later testified, officials said.

When speaking with police, the homeowner said Merdes could be the shooter, court documents said.

Surveillance video captured by neighbor’s cameras showed the gunfire coming from a Toyota pickup truck — the same kind of truck owned by Merdes, according to court documents.

While investigating the drive-by, police waited outside of Merdes’ home, watched him drive off in a Toyota pickup, then followed and pulled him over, documents read.

Merdes had previously been convicted of a felony, meaning he’s not allowed to own any guns or ammo, but officers saw an empty holster on Merdes’ belt, and a search of his vehicle revealed a 9mm handgun hidden under the front passenger seat, according to officials. Police also found several spent shell casings inside the vehicle.

Investigators found more weapons at his home, for a total of 10, according to the release. Of those guns, one matched the casings left at the scene of the shooting, officials said.

Merdes pleaded guilty Aug. 24 to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, according to officials. On Dec. 6, he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

McClatchy News reached out to an attorney listed for Merdes, but they did not immediately respond.

This story was originally published December 7, 2023 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Bullets fly into sleeping family’s home in escalating dispute with handyman, feds say."