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Erin Merdy Gets 20-Years-to-Life for Drowning Three Children

5/21/2026

47 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Erin Merdy was sentenced on May 20, 2026 to 20 years to life in prison for the drowning deaths of her three children.
The victims were 7-year-old Zachary Merdy, 4-year-old Liliana Stephens Merdy, and 3-month-old Oliver Bondarev.
Police found Erin Merdy barefoot and wet on Brighton Beach after she told relatives the children were gone.
The medical examiner classified the children’s deaths as homicides by drowning.

History

Historical Context

In October 1994 Susan Smith claimed a carjacking of her 1990 Mazda while her sons Michael, 3, and Alexander, 14 months, were in the back seat. Police disproved the story, and on November 3 she admitted steering the car into John D. Long Lake, killing both children. A South Carolina court sentenced her to life with parole eligibility after 30 years, a case later referenced in a 2000 Law & Order episode.

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Story summary

Erin Merdy was sentenced on May 20, 2026 to 20 years to life in prison for the drowning deaths of her three children.
The victims were 7-year-old Zachary Merdy, 4-year-old Liliana Stephens Merdy, and 3-month-old Oliver Bondarev.
Police found Erin Merdy barefoot and wet on Brighton Beach after she told relatives the children were gone.
The medical examiner classified the children’s deaths as homicides by drowning.

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