Original article no longer available
News Channel 6
May 10, 2005
Bert Mercer’s lawyer was ready to argue the medication his client took, made him kill. Bert Mercer is known now as a confessed 3 time murderer.
He was also a man on several medications like antidepressants, painkillers and blood pressure pills. Mercer was on about 6 different medications at the time of his killing spree.
Psychiatrist George Seiden says mixing drugs sometimes affects the rate chemicals in the drug leave your body. “His levels were raised sufficiently that he was more irritable and more agitated” says Seiden.
Seiden says the medication didn’t make Mercer kill.
Murder is how he dealt with the anger the pills may have caused.
“It’s not a Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde thing that if you take this pill you suddenly become a monster. What I’m talking about are sometimes subtle sometimes less subtle affects on mood and behavior.
Seiden says Anti Depressants, Anti Anxiety medication and some blood pressure pills are the ones you have to be careful about mixing with other drugs.
To avoid the wrong mix of meds, Seiden says it’s important to let your doctor know about every medication you’re on.
Pharmacies do have computer systems that can alert of side effects of certain prescription combinations.
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Police: man admits three murders, returning Thurs. to La. — (MyPlainView.com)
Posted: Wednesday, June 26, 2002 12:00 am
Police: man admits three murders, returning Thurs. to La.
A man accused of killing three women has surrendered in Texas, confessed to the murders and agreed to return to Louisiana without a court fight, authorities say.
Bert Gary Mercer, 51, of Shreveport gave written and oral confessions to the FBI and local investigators and waived extradition on Wednesday, said Lt. Toni Joe Morris of the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Mercer was interviewed in Brownsville, Texas, where he surrendered to police Tuesday, saying he was tired of running. Later Wednesday, he told a Cameron County judge that he was willing to return to Louisiana.
He had driven twice around Texas in the seven weeks since the deaths of Anna Mercer of DeSoto Parish, Sandra Ford Kerley of Bethany and Bobbi Annette Waggoner of Bossier City, Caddo Parish sheriff’s Detective Stacy Cowgill said.
“He drove around expecting to get caught and finally ran out of money,” a news release quoted Cowgill as saying.
Caddo Parish sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Chadwick said Mercer told Cowgill he killed the women because of disagreements.
DeSoto Parish detectives will start the 8-hour drive back to Mansfield with Mercer sometime Thursday, Morris said.
Anna Mercer, 56, was Mercer’s ex-wife, but they had remained on good terms. Kerley, 54, was Anna Mercer’s cousin. Waggoner, 64, was a friend of Mercer’s.
Each was killed in her home, Anna Mercer on May 6 and the others May 8, Chadwick said. Kerley and Anna Mercer were shot, Waggoner was stabbed. The bodies were discovered between May 8 and May 12.
DeSoto and Caddo parishes have first-degree murder warrants for Mercer; Bossier City police have a warrant accusing him of second-degree murder.
Caddo Parish detectives described Mercer as “cooperative, upbeat, congenial and respectful,” Caddo Parish sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Chadwick said.
He told detectives that about all he did to conceal his identity was to remove the word “Sports” from either side of his red S-150 pickup truck on the day of Kerley’s murder.
“He did not alter his license plates and continued to use his own name as he checked into motels and hotels across Texas,” Chadwick said.
She quoted Cowgill as saying Mercer stayed in Brownsville twice for a total of 10 days before he turned himself in. He did not talk to anyone in his family and and did not know he’d been featured twice and mentioned once on America’s Most Wanted, Chadwick said.
“He tried to stay near the ocean because he likes the ocean. He walked into the border into Matamoros a couple of times. He really wasn’t hiding out, he was just traveling,” Cowgill said. “He thought someone would spot him on the highway and he’d get arrested.”
Chadwick said police have recovered a .22-caliber pistol from a pawn shop in Waco and some of the women’s jewelry from one in Brownsville.