A Denver minister has been sentenced to a considerable term of 16 years to life after being found guilty of sexually assaulting his underage daughter. The judge of the 23rd Judicial District handed down the sentence for 46-year-old Richard Elliot Merskin of Highlands Ranch, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
County deputies had responded to an initial report of the sexual assault back on July 6, 2023, and Merskin was arrested merely a few hours later by the diligent Special Victims Unit, led by Detective Stephanie Dorrell. In February 2025, after a thorough investigation and trial, a jury convicted Merskin on two counts of child sexual assault by a person in a position of trust, offenses that targeted a child under 15 years of age, as reported by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
The apprehension and subsequent prosecution of Merskin were praised by local law enforcement. Sheriff Darren Weekly highlighted the critical role of Detective Dorrell in the case. "Detective Stephanie Dorrell of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Special Victim's Unit was instrumental in bringing this defendant to justice," as per the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Weekly elaborated on her swift and thorough investigative process, which played an essential part in gathering the evidence necessary for Merskin's conviction.
