In a tragic case of mistaken identity, 91-year-old Mickey Pearl Crater was shot and killed in her Sun City, Arizona, vacation home on June 19, 2025. The horrifying incident unfolded when her next-door neighbor, 71-year-old Gary M. Mertz, saw lights on in the Crater residence and, believing them to be intruders, armed himself and entered the house.
Inside, Mertz confronted Mickey's son, DeWayne Crater, who was 65 at the time. Despite DeWayne's attempts to explain that it was his mother's home, Mertz refused to believe him, accusing them of being squatters. The situation escalated, and Mertz opened fire, shooting DeWayne multiple times in the arm, chest, and neck. Miraculously, DeWayne survived the assault. At some point during the chaotic encounter, Mertz fatally shot Mickey Crater in her bedroom.
After the shootings, Mertz left the Crater home and returned to his own residence. He told his wife that he had shot two people and did not want to go to jail. As Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived at the scene, Mertz took his own life, dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His body was found in the yard between the two houses.
Tragically, this was not the first violent death to occur at the Sun City residence. Just seven months prior, in November 2024, Mickey Crater's other son, George W. Crater Jr., was arrested for the alleged assault and murder of a tenant, Thomas F. Galatola, over unpaid rent. At the time of his mother's death, George Crater was incarcerated and awaiting trial for this separate incident. The two homicides, though occurring at the same location, are considered unrelated.
