Wendell Merrick was the victim of a murder plot.
Appearance
Wendell was to inherit half of his father's business only after he was married. His mother and brother pushed him into marrying Eunice McGinty though they knew he was homosexual and in love with Lawrence Braxton.
Thomas was actually conspiring with a con woman named Brigitte Klein who was impersonating Eunice McGinty. Once Wendell and "Eunice" were married, Wendell would have died in an "accident" and the couple would have shared his inheritance. However, at the last minute before the wedding, Wendell decided he couldn't go through with it. In a rage, Thomas killed him.
His lover dead, Lawrence Braxton hanged himself.
Gallery
With "Eunice"