After weeks in a coma, 36-year-old Michael Mernack of Rockford is now in the Winnebago County Jail, charged in the murder of a 16-year-old in late December. Mernack was shot by deputies after he allegedly killed Rebecca Finkenhofer, the daughter of his ex-girlfriend, and wounded the victim's grandmother.
Mernack regained consciousness earlier this month and was booked into the jail on Friday. He's charged with aggravated assault and unlawful use of a weapon, but those charges could be upgraded.