Search for disbarred Cobb County attorney accused of killing mother

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STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (FOX 5 News) - The U.S. Marshals have just issued an alert for a disbarred attorney wanted for murdering his mother.

Richard Merritt, 44, has been the subject of a number of FOX 5 I-Team reports.

Merritt was supposed to surrender to Cobb County authorities last Friday after a judge sentenced him to prison for stealing settlement checks from his clients. The judge granted Merritt's request for time to get his affairs in order. He was supposed to turn himself in on Friday but never showed up.

Instead, marshals say he cut off his ankle monitor and murdered his mother. Officers found her stabbed to death Sunday morning at her home on the 1500 block of Planters Row in Stone Mountain.

Authorities described Merritt as 5-feet-10-inches tall with a weight of around 175 pounds. He has brown eyes and hair. Marshals say he may have shaved his head or otherwise changed his appearance and should be considered armed and dangerous.

Police think he may be driving his mother's brown 2009 Lexus with Georgia tag CBV 6004.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police.