ANDERSON COUNTY, SC (WSPA) – A Greenville man was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years for a 2015 murder.

Jason Travis Merrill, 48, pleaded guilty Nov. 5 to second-degree arson and the murder of his former roommate Cecil “Sandy” Sanders Morris, officials said.

In 2015, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office deputies found Morris’ body after authorities responded to a house fire on Michael Drive. Investigators said the body was found in the basement, wrapped in a tarp and blankets and in the early stages of decomposition.

It was obvious that Morris had been killed before the fire.

Following the initial investigations, the case went cold due to the lack of forensic evidence.

In 2020, investigators re-examined the case, which led officials to uncover records, forensic evidence and surveillance footage that led them to Merrill.

Autopsy findings presented during the plea determined that between Oct. 11, 2015, and Oct. 15, 2015, Merrill shot Morris twice in the back of the head, then set his Michael Drive home on fire.

Merrill was reported to have flown to California between October 18 and October 28.

Merrill was seen on surveillance video returning to Michael Drive on Oct. 30 driving the victim’s vehicle and leaving several hours later.

Deputies believe Merrill then went to a relative’s home in Brevard, NC, where he was taken into custody on November 20, 2020. Morris’ vehicle was also recovered at the Brevard residence.

Merrill’s case was the first to be solved following the creation of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit.

Officials said he will serve his sentence at the SC Department of Corrections.

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