[4][5] His aunt, Raymonde Joseph, his twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight, as well as his 6-year-old cousin, Makayla, were killed in the shooting.
[6][7] Her husband, Patrick Knight, was severely injured and spent three months in a coma.
In 1973, Paul Merhige's aunt, Salwa Merrige-Abrams, murdered her ex-husband and two children before committing suicide by taking barbiturates.
[13][14] The same year, on September 15, Jim and Muriel Sitton sued Paul's parents, with their reasoning being that they could have prevented the murders.
[15][16] In 2014, 4th District Court of Appeal ruled that Merhige's parents could not be held liable for the massacre.