Christopher Merriman
A Chattanooga man has been charged with beating his sister, leaving her in critical condition.
Christopher Merriman is charged with aggravated assault and attempted first-degree murder.
He told police he hit her over the head in a dispute about money for crack cocaine. He then said he left in a black car.
Merriman told police he thought his sister was on the floor dying.
An officer found drops of blood and blood splatter in the living room and located 54-year-old Elizabeth Merriman lying on her left side in the hallway. There was a thick pool of blood below her head and an axe handle above her head.
Police found Christopher Merriman with blood on his legs and shoes. He said he had been drinking most of the day.
The sister was taken by ambulance to Erlanger Hospital, where she was being treated for life-threatening, severe head trauma.
Merriman first told police that someone else had hit his sister.