Former Atlanta personal injury attorney Richard Merritt is on trial for murder in DeKalb County, Georgia, a trial that kicked off with opening statements Thursday.

Merritt’s day in court comes after the former attorney was apprehended in Nashville, Tennessee, in Late September 2019, ending a nearly nine-month stint on the run that began the day he was to report to prison authorities in Cobb County for a 15-year prison sentence. Previously, Merritt was arrested and indicted on 34 counts of fraud, elder abuse and forgery, to the tune of over $200,000, ending his legal career.