Killer Minds: Serial Killers & True Crime Murders

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: Thanksgiving Murders Pt. 1 with Carter Roy

Date: November 24, 2025
Hosts: Vanessa Richardson, Dr. Tristan Ingalls (Clinical & Forensic Psychologist)
Special Guest: Carter Roy

Episode Overview

In this Thanksgiving holiday special, Killer Minds dives into two tragic, unsettling real-life murders that took place around Thanksgiving—each revealing the shadow side of the holiday’s family-focused warmth and gratitude. Hosts Vanessa Richardson and Dr. Tristan Ingalls, joined by guest Carter Roy, dissect the psychological depths of the crimes and victims, focusing first on Paul Merhige, whose struggle with severe mental illness culminated in the massacre of his own family, followed by Omaima Nelson, a survivor of childhood trauma whose marriage in America ended in one of the most gruesome murders in Thanksgiving history. The discussion weaves together crime narrative, victim histories, and forensic analysis, unearthing the complex intersections of mental illness, trauma, family, and violence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Case of Paul Merhige: Family Annihilation on Thanksgiving

Early Life & Decline

• [05:04–11:04] Paul Merhige grew up in a high-achieving Miami family, excelling academically and in extracurriculars. However, in his late adolescence, Paul’s behavior became increasingly erratic, marked by obsessive-compulsive tendencies, depression, and ultimately, a dramatic decline in functioning.

  • Dr. Ingalls' Analysis ([07:11]):

    “High achievement can also sometimes mask deep psychological strain…for someone with obsessive tendencies, that triggers the urge to control whatever they can—through rituals, rigid routines, or avoidance.”

  • On stress exacerbating OCD ([08:46]):

    “Medical training immerses students in constant discussions of disease, contamination, and risk…for an individual like Paul, learning in detail how easily illness can spread can reinforce fears about contamination or loss of control.”

Escalating Mental Illness & Family Estrangement

• [10:05–15:21] Despite family efforts—including stints in mental health facilities—Paul’s mental health continually worsened. He became paranoid and hostile towards his sisters, once seeking a restraining order against Carla based on fantastical accusations.

• Dr. Ingalls suggests that outward paranoia and violence start to indicate possible psychosis rather than OCD alone.

  • ([13:14]) Delusion vs. OCD:

    “OCD is driven by fear and doubt. Psychotic paranoia is driven by false certainty.”

The Massacre

• [18:05–23:48] On Thanksgiving 2009, Paul’s parents—against prior warnings—invited him to a family gathering. Paul arrived, isolated and sullen, eventually leaving, then returning with a handgun. He murdered four relatives, including two sisters, a pregnant woman, and his six-year-old cousin, and wounded three others.

  • ([21:20]) Family devastation:

    “As Paul reloaded, he shouted that he’d been waiting 20 years to do this.”

• Dr. Ingalls analyzes how Paul’s longstanding mental disintegration led to persecutory logic, where his family, once the source of pride, became “the source of his pain.”

Aftermath and Legal Fallout

• [23:48–27:49] Paul fled but was apprehended one month later after a motel manager recognized him from America’s Most Wanted. Family members, wracked by grief and blame, sued each other over responsibility for inviting Paul.

  • ([26:10]) On family blaming:

    “In the search for meaning, blame can become a coping mechanism…it’s a way to make sense of something that feels senseless, which this truly was.”

Legal Resolution

• [28:36–28:44] Both lawsuits were thrown out. Paul accepted a plea bargain—seven consecutive life sentences—and remains estranged from all family except his father.

2. The Case of Omaima Nelson: Trauma, Sex, and a Gruesome Crime

Omaima’s Early Trauma and Emigration

• [30:37–33:51] Omaima grew up in abject poverty in Cairo under an abusive father. At six, she was forced to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM), which Dr. Ingalls unpacks as a devastating trauma with profound, lasting impacts on autonomy and control.

  • ([31:19]) Dr. Ingalls: FGM’s effect

    “That can teach a child that their body’s not their own…and that can lead to depression, PTSD, dissociation, boundary confusion…”

  • ([32:31]) On societal normalization of trauma:

    “When a whole society calls trauma normal, it rewires what safety and consent actually means...it continued in the silence or the acceptance that followed.”

Life in America & Painting a Pattern

• [33:51–38:52]

  • Omaima immigrates via a short-lived marriage, then pursues work as a nanny and model, while seeking men who can offer a better life. Her relationships are marked by instability, impulsiveness, and violence—pulling guns on roommates, tying up and robbing partners.

  • Dr. Ingalls highlights the compulsive, trauma-driven need to assert control, often manifesting as reenactment of early powerlessness:

    “Crime can ironically become a form of agency…[with] themes of dominance, power, and survival.” ([36:22])

The Marriage and Murder of Bill Nelson

• [41:47–51:13]

  • Omaima meets Bill Nelson, 33 years her senior; their relationship is a whirlwind (married in two weeks). Shortly, Omaima alleges extreme sexual and physical abuse. Observers, including Bill’s friends, see a loving couple, but Dr. Ingalls notes the possibility of both hidden abuse and the tendency for trauma survivors to either magnify or misinterpret danger due to their history ([43:25–46:11]).

• Thanksgiving 1991: During sex involving rope play, Omaima kills Bill by bludgeoning and stabbing, then painstakingly dismembers his body. She boils and disposes of remains, possibly also committing cannibalism (a detail she later denies).

  • ([49:32]) Dr. Ingalls on psychological state:

    “On one hand, her actions show clear organization and rational thought...her behavior demonstrates goal-directed thinking...But psychologically, there’s another layer. The manner of dismemberment and the chaos afterward...point to someone in extreme emotional distress, possibly dissociative, panicked, or detached from reality.”

Motivations, Mental Defenses, and Legal Outcome

• [51:13–56:08]

  • Psychological experts testify Omaima experienced psychosis at the time of dismemberment. Prosecution points to her history of violence and suggests she planned the murder, citing evidence of premeditation and efforts to hide Bill’s identity.

  • ([51:19]) Dr. Ingalls: Trauma response theory

    “Her brain may have registered the situation not as consensual or intimate, but as dangerous and violating…that would explain why her behavior escalated so suddenly and so extremely.”

• Conviction & Aftermath

  • [56:08–End] Omaima is found guilty of second-degree murder, receiving 27 years to life. She is denied parole multiple times due to violent behavior in prison; her parole eligibility is in 2026.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Paul’s chilling statement during the massacre ([21:20]):

  “I’ve been waiting 20 years to do this.” — Paul Merhige

• On the family’s impossible predicament ([18:44], Dr. Ingalls):

  “The very people who need connection the most can become unstable to be close to safely. This is why early and sustained interventions are so critical.”

• On criminal behavior as trauma reenactment ([36:22], Dr. Ingalls):

  “Crime can ironically become a form of agency. It’s a way to overcompensate for never feeling controlled by someone again.”

• On societal gaslighting of trauma ([32:31], Dr. Ingalls):

  “When a whole society calls trauma normal, it rewires what safety and consent actually means. It’s like being gaslit. You learn not to trust your own pain.”

• On the aftermath of family tragedy ([26:10], Dr. Ingalls):

  “Blame can become a coping mechanism. It’s a way to make sense of something that feels senseless.”

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:55–04:08 — Introduction, episode overview, and theme: exploring the dark side of Thanksgiving through two family-centered murders.
• 05:04–18:05 — Childhood, psychological decline, and family estrangement of Paul Merhige.
• 18:05–23:48 — The Thanksgiving Day massacre: Paul’s rampage, victim details, and immediate aftermath.
• 23:48–28:44 — The manhunt, arrest, and damaging legal battles between relatives.
• 30:37–38:52 — Omaima Nelson’s childhood trauma, immigration, and early years of crime in the US.
• 41:47–54:38 — Omaima and Bill Nelson: marriage, alleged abuse, murder, the gruesome aftermath, and psychological analysis.
• 54:38–56:08 — Trial, psychiatric testimony, prosecution arguments, and verdict.
• 56:08–End — Omaima’s prison life, parole status, and closing reflections.

Final Thoughts and Tone

The episode uses a calm but deeply empathetic tone, balancing true crime storytelling with expert psychoanalysis to encourage understanding—not just titillation. The hosts exhibit respect for the victims, and sensitivity for the complex motives and pathologies driving perpetrators, while never excusing or diminishing the severity of their crimes.

Listen to the Next Episode

Tune in for part two, which tackles two more infamous Thanksgiving murders, continuing to expose how holiday pressures and trauma can push people past the brink.