Founder & Executive Director
Founder & Executive Director

Brandon Merrill

Under Brandon's leadership, UHS has grown to become a leading advocate for homicide survivors in Utah, offering a wide range of services to help families navigate the aftermath of tragedy.

Full Bio

Under Brandon's leadership, UHS has grown to become a leading advocate for homicide survivors in Utah, offering a wide range of services to help families navigate the aftermath of tragedy. With years of experience working in the field of victim services, Brandon is dedicated to helping survivors heal and find justice. His passion for helping others and his commitment to making a difference in the lives of those affected by homicide are a driving force behind the success of Utah Homicide Survivors.

Brandon graduated from Utah Valley University in 2013, with a degree in International Politics. He moved to Vermont to attend Vermont Law School and study environmental law later that year. After taking his first environmental law class he decided that it wasn't the path for him. In order to graduate from law school he found an internship with the Never Again Foundation in Arizona, which sadly closed their doors in 2019. This organization taught him the importance of legal services for families of homicide victims and how to navigate the family through the numerous civil legal processes. After graduating from Vermont Law School in January 2016, Brandon worked as a divorce and custody mediator and a money laundering analyst while also continuing to volunteer for the Never Again Foundation. In August 2017, he took a staff position with the Never Again Foundation. In 2018, Brandon and his wife Karleigh moved to Utah to open a Utah chapter of the Never Again Foundation. In early 2019 the Never Again Foundation was hit hard with financial troubles and had to close their door permanently in March 2019. Brandon did not want to see the gap for homicide survivors re-open so he started Utah Homicide Survivors that same month where he serves as the Founder and Executive Director.

Brandon currently lives in Orem, UT with his wife Karleigh, their Bernese Mountain Dogs Zola and Dr. Pepper, and their cat Mozzie.