Sault suspect with a violent past charged with second-degree murder

A 40-year-old man is charged with second-degree murder after a 25-year-old inmate died at the Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre in Sault Ste. Marie last week.

A 40-year-old has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the violent death of a victim last week at the Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre.

Sault police said Wednesday that Eric Mearow has been charged in connection with an Oct. 8 death at the centre.

“An investigation revealed the accused started a verbal altercation with the victim before punching and stomping on them multiple times,” police said in a news release Wednesday.

“The victim was transported to hospital and pronounced deceased due to injuries inflicted by the accused.”

He was charged with second-degree murder on Tuesday and continues to reside at the treatment centre.

Mearow made headlines in the past for previous arrests, in particular the 2011 murder of Wesley Hallam, whose body was dismembered.

He and two other men got into a knife fight with Hallam during a drug-fuelled party, after which the victim’s body was disposed of in various locations.

More recently, Mearow was charged with attempted murder in connection with a shooting incident in the Sault in May 2022.