Murder in Chester County: Suspect Found in Collegeville

By Nate Adams and Bob Byrne

Chester County Detectives say 21-year-old Drew Allen Ferguson was found dead Tuesday, wrapped in a sleeping bag and buried under a a makeshift couch in a detached garage at the Malvern home he shared with his grandparents.

Police say drugs are at the root of the case.

Police arrested Merritt Dudas, a 24-year-old Collegeville man on Tuesday.

Dudas was arrested on charges of first-degree murder, criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse, according to court documents.

Dudas's preliminary arraignment was held at 7:50 p.m. Tuesday and he is currently being held in Chester County Prison without the possibility of bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov 27. 

Prior to the announcement of Dudas' arrest on Tuesday, Police released a statement Tuesday saying they were looking into the death of Drew Ferguson, a 21-year-old Malvern resident who was found dead in his home. 

According to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case, Chester County Detectives say that Dudas confessed to the crime.  In court documents detectives say that Dudas confessed to firing three shots at Ferguson. Police say Dudas confessed that the third shot hit and killed Ferguson.  An autopsy showed Ferguson died of a gunshot wound to the head, according ot the affidavit.

According to detectives Dudas put Ferguson's body in a sleeping bag and then buried the bag under a makeshift couch fashioned out of "bean bag material on top of some loose material, and under the material was a rolled up tarp. Inside the tarp was a zipped up sleeping bag."  Police found the man's body inside the sleeping bag.

After Police say Dudas murdered his long time friend, Dudas took the dead man's wallet, keys, phone and car.  A search for the missing car led detectives to a home identified as Dudas' girlfriend's house in Collegeville.  Police knocked on the door, were let in and then interviewed Dudas and the woman at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. During that interview police say Dudas confessed to the murder and told police his girlfriend, who had driven him to the Malvern area on Friday, had nothing to do with the killing.

Chester County Detectives booked Dudas at the Tredyffrin Township Police Department before taking him to night court in Exton for an arraignment where Dudas was ordered held without bail on murder charges.  His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing scheduled for the day before Thanksgiving.