Killer in custody, say police, who found body hidden under debris
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Merritt N. Dudas is in custody, police said, charged with fatally shooting Drew Ferguson in Malvern
In a tight-knit Malvern community, the homicide victim and his killer were once next-door neighbors and good friends – so close that when the alleged shooter needed a place to live, he moved in with the victim, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said during a news conference on Tuesday.
Hogan said several months ago, the pair had a falling out, and on Friday, Nov. 15, Merritt N. Dudas, 24, stole a .380 caliber handgun; traveled from Collegeville to the Malvern home of Drew A. Ferguson, 21; fatally shot Ferguson on the second floor of a detached garage; grabbed Ferguson’s car keys, wallet and cell phone; zipped the body into a sleeping bag; covered it with items that included a tarp and bean bag couch; and fled in Ferguson’s white Honda Civic.
Police became involved in the case when Ferguson’s mother, who lives in West Caln Township, contacted police on Monday, Nov. 18, to report her son missing, Hogan said. She said she had been unable to reach him for several days, which was inconsistent with their daily contact, Hogan said. West Caln Police contacted the Malvern department, where officers went to check Ferguson’s residence and saw bullet holes and a shell casing on the floor of the garage, Hogan said. Malvern Police then reached out to Chester County Detectives, he said.
Malvern Police Chief Louis Marcelli (left) listens as Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan describes the homicide.
According to the criminal complaint, Chester County Detective Gary Lynch found “what appeared to be a mound of debris” in the garage, and as he removed the layers, he discovered Ferguson’s body with a bullet wound to the head inside the sleeping bag. County Detective Joseph Walton located Ferguson’s car in Collegeville, where Dudas had been living with his girlfriend, the complaint said.
Describing an experience fraught with peril, Hogan said detectives from both Chester and Montgomery Counties knocked at the girlfriend’s residence, where they not only found Dudas but also learned that the girlfriend’s father was missing a .380 caliber handgun. A search warrant was later executed at the home, and detectives found the victim’s wallet, keys, and phone as well as the murder weapon and two spent rounds of ammunition, Hogan said.
County detectives said the body of Drew Ferguson was found inside a zippered sleeping bag under a pile of debris.
During an interview with investigators, Dudas admitted killing his former friend and hiding the body, the complaint said. It also said Dudas, who was convicted of felony burglary in 2008, was ineligible to possess a firearm. Calling the crime “senseless,” Hogan said that witnesses had varying opinions on what caused the rift between Dudas and Ferguson, but it seemed to involve drugs or money.
Hogan and Chester County Det./Lt. Kevin Dykes both praised the cooperative multi-agency police work that resulted in a quick resolution of the case. Malvern Police Chief Louis Marcelli said homicide is a rare occurrence in the borough. “Malvern is definitely a safe place,” he said.
Dudas was arraigned Tuesday evening and remanded to Chester County Prison to await a preliminary hearing that has not yet been scheduled, according to court records.
