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WILKES-BARRE — When the television show came on about the death of her mother, Kristin Merritt didn’t take her eyes off the screen.
Neither did the rest of her family Thursday afternoon as they watched the “Crime Watch Daily” feature about the still-unresolved case of who set the fire that caused the death of Laurie Merritt more than three years ago. Her body was found in the attic of the Wyoming Street residence, now owned by her daughter and where they watched the show.
It didn’t break any new ground and didn’t change her mind that police should continue to look at an ex-boyfriend as the person who started the fatal fire. But she hoped the national attention could bring more pressure for a resolution.
“I’m glad that it’s out there,” said Kristin Merritt, 28.
She sat silent for most of the nearly 16-minute segment and listened intently to the on-the-street interview with the ex-boyfriend, Paul Kosakowski, a former Wilkes-Barre Township police detective.
“It brought him out and let everybody see him,” she said afterward.
Kosakowski stated he was not at the house or even in the neighborhood the night of the fire. He also disclosed that he submitted to a voice polygraph, but never asked investigators for the results. He has not been charged and said the last time he spoke to investigators was the day after the fire.
Kosakowski dismissed allegations from the Merritt family that Laurie Merritt wanted to end her relationship with him. He also said there was animosity between the mother and daughter.
“I think the victim of the fire, OK, was the person who lit the fire,” Kosakowski said in the segment.
He ended the interview with a plea to the Merritt family. “They have to stop blaming me, stop blaming me. I did not harm Laurie. I did not,” Kosakowski said.
When contacted at his home in Wilkes-Barre Township on Thursday, Kosakowski said he did not watch the show.
“They talked to me. I told the truth,” he said.
Kristin Merritt was also interviewed along with her uncles and Laurie’s brothers, Joe and Jeff Walkowiak. They expressed their frustration with what they said were missteps in the investigation from the start.
Initially, the death of the mail carrier whose route took her around the North End neighborhood near her home was ruled accidental. The manner of death was changed to “pending an investigation” after a State Police fire marshal determined the April 14, 2014, fire was intentionally set.
Since then, the case has involved a dispute with tech giant Apple to open the iPhone found near Laurie’s body, and the assistance of experts and resources from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
After repeated requests for help from Apple, the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office purchased software that opened the phone in April. Investigators haven’t disclosed what they found and have been tight-lipped about the investigation.
“They won’t tell us anything,” said Kristin of what was on the phone. However, when she met with investigators in October, she said they told her they reached a critical conclusion based on what they found.
“They ruled out suicide,” Kristin said.
It’s good news, but she said authorities cautioned “just because they rule out suicide doesn’t mean it’s a murder.”
In the meantime, the family hangs on, said Carol Walkowiak, 74, who is Laurie’s mother.
“It’s terrible waiting,” said Walkowiak.
