2009 Thanksgiving murders

On November 26, 2009, a man killed four members of his family in Jupiter, Florida.

Shooting
Paul Michael Merhige waited three hours before opening fire at his family's Thanksgiving Day dinner, shooting multiple family members. 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. Lisa Knight was pregnant at the time of the shooting. Her husband, Patrick Knight, was severely injured and spent three months in a coma.

Background
The family had a troubled past. In 1973, Paul Merhige's aunt, Salwa Merrige-Abrams, murdered her ex-husband and two children before committing suicide by taking barbiturates.

Aftermath
A manhunt for Merhige followed, with a $25,000 reward offered for information leading to his arrest.

On January 2, 2010, Merhige was arrested. On October 27, 2011, Paul Merhige pleaded guilty to all charges, and was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences without parole.

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. In 2014, 4th District Court of Appeal ruled that Merhige's parents could not be held liable for the massacre.