An Egg Harbor Township woman is accused of threatening to kill her neighbor while squirting the victim with a garden hose and making racial slurs.
Christine Merlino sprayed the woman while saying she was going to “wash some of that (n-word) off of you, you sh—y (n-word),” according to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by BreakingAC.
The victim also told police Merlino threatened to kill her.
Surveillance video captured the incident.
A witness said she heard Merlino use the n-word and “believes she heard (Merlino) threaten to kill her,” the affidavit states.
It was not the first time Merlino, 55, was accused of a bias crime.
She has at least four pending cases dating to March 3, 2022, that all include bias intimidation, along with some form of harassment.
“The defendant has a history of threatening or committing acts of harassment of others motivated by race,” Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Mills told the judge at a detention hearing Tuesday.
Superior Court Judge Patricia Wild had one question for Merlino’s public defender.
“Is your client crazy?” she asked. “What in the world is going on in her head?”
“There’s a possible mental health component,” Scott Sherwood responded.
He previously said Merlino has been on disability since 2005, with back injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The latest incident happened Sept. 30, although Merlino was not arrested until Jan. 4. Neither attorney nor the judge was able to track down why there had been so much time between the alleged assault and Merlino’s arrest.
“This isn’t just calling someone the n-word,” Wild said. “She hosed down her neighbor using vulgar and offensive language against her neighbor. How do I let her go back to the situation?”
Merlino was asked if there was anywhere else she could stay if released, so she wouldn’t be near the victim. But she said there was no where else to go, and that her one adult daughter was now living with her.
“I’m glad to hear she has a daughter living with her,” Sherwood said. “That maybe could be a good influence.”
The three-month gap between this latest incident and Merlino’s arrest — with no issues in between — was enough to convince the judge that Merlino could be released with conditions.
But she warned the woman, “If you have any contact with this neighbor, you will be back in custody in an orange jumpsuit and the judge next time will not let you out. I can assure you of that.”
The public safety assessment, which is used to help determine whether a defendant is released or held under bail reform, recommended release under the lowest oversight. But the judge decided to put more strict conditions, including weekly check-ins.
She also warned Merlino several times to not contact the neighbor in any way.
“I can’t stress enough what no contact means,” Wild said, giving a list that included no social media postings, no third parties reaching out and not even a sign on the property.
The judge also warned Merlino against no weapons, which was given a much broader meaning under the allegations.
“This is the first time I’ve ever heard anyone use a garden hose, but — in this particular case — it could be a dangerous weapon,” Wild said. “Don’t even pickup a stick in your back yard. No weapons whatsoever.”
Merlino is due back in court Feb. 16.
