A heartbreaking case out of Brooklyn has ended with a mother sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the deaths of her three children. Erin Merdy, 34, pleaded guilty to murdering her children by drowning them in 2022.
Tragic Deaths of Three Children
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office reported that on September 12, 2022, Merdy took her children to the beach near the Coney Island boardwalk shortly after midnight. The children—7-year-old Zachary Merdy, 4-year-old Liliana Stephens Merdy, and 3-month-old Oliver Bondarev—were drowned in the ocean.
After the drownings, Merdy reportedly walked about two miles toward the home of Oliver’s father, making phone calls to relatives. Concerned, relatives called 911 after Merdy admitted the children were gone and expressed regret.
Discovery and Investigation
The bodies of all three children were recovered from the shore around 4:30 a.m. and were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. During a psychiatric evaluation later that day, Merdy said she had been having nightmares about her children in the water and described feelings of helplessness and despair.
Investigators learned that Merdy had been involved in a custody dispute with Oliver’s father. She also had a history of mental health struggles, including postpartum depression following Oliver’s birth in May 2022. At the time of the incident, Merdy was behind on rent, facing eviction, and owed over $10,000 in back rent.
Guilty Plea and Sentencing
Merdy pleaded guilty to all three counts of first-degree murder in March 2026. On May 20, she was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzales expressed the gravity of the tragedy:
“No sentence can fully measure the loss of a 7-year-old, a 4-year-old, and a 3-month-old baby, or the grief their loved ones will carry forever… Zachary, Liliana, and Oliver were innocent children whose lives were taken in the most heartbreaking and unthinkable way.”
This case serves as a tragic reminder of the importance of mental health support, especially for parents struggling with postpartum depression and other challenges.
