MARION COUNTY, Fla. — An inmate at the Marion County Jail will now have manslaughter added to his charges after deputies say he killed another inmate for talking too loudly while he attempted to sleep.
According to a press release, the fight occurred when Eric Thanal Lutterloah confronted Cory Merchant around 1 a.m. on Nov. 7 about "talking loudly."
During the argument, deputies say Lutterloah pushed Merchant and hit him several times, which caused him to fall to the cement floor and hit his head.
Merchant was knocked unconscious as a result of the fight and was transported to the hospital where he later died on Nov. 13, according to a press release.
In an interview with authorities, Lutterloah said "he was awoken by Merchant talking and laughing with other inmates" before becoming agitated and asking him to leave the area.
The sheriff's office says video evidence and witness statement's corroborated Lutterloah's account of the fight. He was already being held without bond on charges for armed kidnapping, sexual battery, failure to comply with sex offender reporting requirements, forgery and giving a false report of a crime.
