Kaleb Merritt

Kaleb Merritt (full name Kaleb Christopher Merritt, aliases "eTerror," "o9a.evil," and "o9a") is a member of CVLT and the broader 764 ecosystem, operating out of Spring, Texas. At the time of his federal indictment he was already incarcerated at Pocahontas State Correctional Center in Tazewell County, Virginia, serving a 33-year state sentence for the 2020-2021 abduction and rape of multiple minors in Henry County, Virginia. He pleaded guilty on March 26, 2026 to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise under federal law.¹

Virginia State Conviction

Merritt targeted a 12-year-old girl in Henry County, Virginia, whom he initially contacted through Instagram and Discord. He traveled from Texas and eventually abducted her. An Amber Alert was issued when the two were reported missing, and approximately 36 hours later they were located near Raleigh, North Carolina. He was subsequently charged by a Henry County grand jury with: rape of a child less than 13 years of age, two counts of rape, two counts of producing child pornography with a victim under 15 (second or subsequent offense), one additional count of producing child pornography with a victim under 15, abduction with intent to defile, and solicitation of a child less than 15 for sex by computer.

On March 8, 2022, Merritt appeared in Henry County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to all charges; he was sentenced the same day to 33 years in active incarceration plus lifetime probation upon release. He was transferred to Pocahontas State Correctional Center in Tazewell County.²

The Merritt Virginia case predates his full CVLT leadership activity but overlaps with the CVLT enterprise period (at least 2019 to 2022). The federal indictment alleged that Merritt also victimized four additional children beyond those in the Virginia case, as part of his CVLT activities.³

O9A Ideology

Merritt adopted aliases that incorporated O9A identity, using "eTerror/o9a.evil" across platforms. CVLT's early leadership cohort, including co-leader Collin Walker (alias "WRATH/O9A.WRATH"), integrated O9A-aligned neo-Nazi occultism alongside nihilism and pedophilia as core ideological elements. Instagram screenshots from the account "o9a.evil" have been identified by researchers as potentially belonging to Merritt.⁴

Federal Case (United States v. Rane, 2:25-cr-00040)

The grand jury returned the CVLT indictment on January 17, 2025 in the Central District of California. The indictment was unsealed approximately February 4-5, 2025. Merritt faced one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise under 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(g). Because he was incarcerated in Virginia at the time of indictment, he was transported to federal custody in Los Angeles.

Merritt, Rohan Rane, and Walker were identified as the enterprise's leaders and administrators. All three hosted and ran CVLT servers, controlled membership, and directed victims during the creation of CSAM and coercion videos. Clint Borge was charged as a member who participated in and directed coercion sessions.³

Merritt pleaded guilty on March 26, 2026. United States District Judge Hernan D. Vera of the Central District of California scheduled Merritt's sentencing for January 7, 2027. At sentencing Merritt faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in federal prison and a maximum of life imprisonment. Any federal sentence would run consecutively to or concurrently with his existing 33-year Virginia sentence, as determined by the sentencing court.¹