Accused McKinney murderer released from jail

He is not to return to the home that he shared with his wife and their two children.

Eriz Merz is accused of killing his wife.

MCKINNEY — Eric Merz was released from the Collin County Detention Center on Tuesday, according to Collin County court records. Merz is accused of murdering his wife, Mary “Beth” Werz on March 6 in their Mallard Lakes home.

Merz, 44, posted bond and was released at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, according to Sergeant Ron James of the Collin County Sheriff’s office.

Sergeant Chad Barker of the McKinney Police Department stated there is currently a protective order placed on Merz that prevents Merz from returning to the home that he shared with his wife and their two children.

The protective order also states that Merz is not allowed to have contact with his children. Barker said the children are currently staying with family members since the day of their father's arrest following the incident at 306 Pintail Drive.

The bond for Merz was set at $150,000, but TownSquareBuzz.com was unable to determine how much of that amount he was able to post. A defendant is only required to post 10 percent of the stated bond amount to secure a release from custody.