Brady Mercer loved his father, his grandmother said, even when Matthew Mercer broke his son’s nose.
Matthew Hall Mercer, 41, is being held on a murder charge after allegedly shooting his son in the head Friday night. Jail records show his address as 565 Elroy Mercer Rd., Chadbourn, in the Roseland community. He is being held under no bond.
Sheriff Bill Rogers said that deputies were sent to the residence at 11:35 p.m. Friday, where they found Matthew Mercer and the deceased youth. Matthew Mercer confessed to shooting his son Brady, the report said. Matthew Mercer was taken into custody and charged Saturday morning.
Brady Mercer, 16, had recently purchased a Chevrolet Avalanche against his father’s wishes, his grandmother Sandy Tyler said. The youth bought the truck in secret with his own money. He was planning to leave the home, Tyler said.
“Matthew was going to take it from Brady, like he did everything else,” Tyler said Monday. “He went outside to sit in the truck, and his daddy shot him.” The victim’s sister ran down the road to a neighbor to call 911, Tyler said.
Tyler said the killing was the culmination of years of abuse that sent contributed to her daughter Megan Iseman going to prison.
“No one would listen to her,” Tyler said. “Nobody believed her. He didn’t hit the girls (Brady’s older and younger sisters) but Megan just couldn’t take it any more.”
Even when Brady’s oldest sister left home, Tyler said, “people didn’t believe them.
“Matthew convinced people he was the best thing for my grandchildren, and that their mother was a bad person..”
Brady’s mother recently lost a custody hearing to Mercer, Tyler said.
“Megan told the judge and everyone in the courtroom that they would regret this,” Tyler said. “They wanted to give her five days in jail for contempt, but she didn’t care anymore. She wanted her children safe.”
Tyler said Mercer “lied to the judge and everyone” after “kidnapping” Brady and a younger sister from Virginia during a court-ordered Easter visit. Tyler said calls for welfare checks went unresolved, and Mercer kept social workers and deputies from seeing his wife and later, the three children.
“He would say they weren’t there,” Tyler said.
Brady Mercer was an up-and-coming football player at West Columbus High School, and a standout on the JV team. His jersey was No. 32. He was slated to play varsity ball this year for the Vikings, but opted out due to a “family problem,” Tyler said.
“His daddy was the problem,” she said. “Brady went to school with a broken nose, and another time with a broken hand. His daddy hurt him, but the real reason he didn’t play is because his daddy wouldn’t let him.”
The WCHS Viking End Zone Club asked for prayers for the family Saturday.
“Brady was a member of our JV football team last season. Brady was tragically killed… Brady was going to be on the team this season, but he decided to sit out for what he called family issues,” a social media post said.
“Folks, we need to be aware of what’s going on with our youth. We also need to be mindful that not every kid has a perfect home life to go to after school. This is another big reason why our coaches do what they do for our kids.”
The team plans to honor Brady at this coming Friday’s game.
Tyler said that even when Brady’s father hurt him, the youth refused to speak badly about him.
“He wouldn’t let anybody say anything bad about his daddy,” she said. “He loved his daddy. He wanted everything to be all right, and thought maybe he could help him change.”
Tyler said she had to make special arrangements to call her daughter with the news Saturday.
“It tore my heart out hearing her cry like she did,” Tyler said.
Iseman was rushed to hospital this morning (Monday). Tyler said she did not have any information on why.
“My daughter is heartbroken,” Tyler said. “A mother should never have to bury a child, but here she has to. My grandson is dead. He will never graduate school, or go to prom, or have his own family. We don’t even have a body – he’s tagged as evidence. We can’t tell him goodbye. We can’t see him. All we can do is remember how loving he was, and see him out there throwing a ball, enjoying life. His daddy took that away from him.
“And why? I just want to know why. Brady loved him.”
“We just want somebody to listen, if somebody says something’s wrong. Believe them. This might not have happened if somebody had listened.”
