Serial Harasser Robert Merkle Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison

The victim described “severe and traumatizing" conduct

Aug 31, 2023 at 3:12 pm

COURTESY ST. LOUIS COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY

Robert Merkle, shown in a 2022 booking photo, was previously convicted of harassing women.

A man who's harassed a shockingly large number of women in the St. Louis area has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Robert Merkle, 54, pleaded guilty today to Harassment 1st Degree in St. Louis County Circuit Court. While that's only a Class E felony, Merkle is a Prior and Persistent Offender. That takes the maximum penalty from four to seven years in prison. And Judge John Lasater was all about it, giving Merkle the max.

Addressing the court today, the victim in this case said Merkle caused damage that was “severe and traumatizing," according to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. She asked the court to issue the maximum seven-year sentence consecutive to the 71 months he's currently serving after a plea deal in federal court earlier this month.

However, the prosecutors who struck deals with Merkle in both state and federal court had agreed that the prison terms would be concurrent. They asked the judge to stick with that. Lasater did.

Merkle has previously been able to get out of seemingly long prison sentences by having his terms run concurrently rather than consecutively. In 2018, victims spoke out after one plea deal that was supposed to be three years in prison instead led to him being ready for a parole date not long after being sentenced due to the time he'd spent in jail waiting for trial. And time and again, he's shown himself willing to reoffend.

Merkle's crimes have a maddening, and terrifying, pattern. Victims have detailed numerous instances in which Merkle met a woman only briefly — sometimes through dating apps, groups like meetup.com or simply by being seated near her and learning her name — and sent her horrifying messages threatening her with rape. A former IT worker, he was known to track down personal details about his victims and their families.

“This guilty plea is the result of dedicated collaboration between law enforcement, the prosecuting attorney’s office and concerned citizens," said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell in a statement. "I am grateful to the survivors of these crimes for their bravery in seeking justice for themselves and for standing against violence against women."

Robert Merkle, Out of Prison, Is Still Making Rape Threats: Charges

What Survivors of a St. Louis Serial Harasser Wish They Had Known

Robert Merkle Terrorized Multiple Women, Yet Already Has a Parole Board Date

Tags:

About The Author

Sarah Fenske

Sarah Fenske is the executive editor of the RFT and its sister papers. She is the former host of St. Louis on the Air and continues to host its Legal Roundtable, as well participating as an occasional panelist on Nine PBS' Donnybrook. She lives in St. Louis.