Save Bishop's Castle
Donation protected
Bishop Castle, 46 years in the making, which one man dedicated his life to building, has been turned over to a new owner.
A frequent visitor of the castle and friend of the creator is now in charge but the family who built the attraction says they were conned into signing over the deed.
The creator of the castle, Jim Bishop, has been fighting a rare form of cancer for the past few months and his family now feels like they've been taken advantage of.
"How can one individual do this to someone they claim they admire and respect and love?" Phoebe Bishop, Jim's wife said.
Brick by brick, this castle is what Jim dedicated his life to building, tucked away in the San Isabel National Forest.
"I feel like the castle was stolen from us," she said.
Earlier this year, a man by the name of David Merrill showed up at Bishop's door with a pile of paperwork to sign.
"And I'm sitting there puzzled, Jimmy is shaking, he is a wreck, he can't think, he doesn't like to listen to anything," she said.
Phoebe says she was conned into signing over the deed and that she was under the impression they would be in a better tax situation.
As Jim battles a rare form of cancer, his wife says the family was taken advantage of.
"Worst thing I think I've done in my life, signing those papers," she said.
News5 took these claims to the new owner, David Merrill.
"I'm fully aware of their state of mind when they were doing this and she was asking all the right questions that somebody about to transfer property was asking," David Merrill, the new owner said.
Jim Bishop on the other hand, not feeling so well.
"He was feeling a little bit less but we did already discuss the convergence and the heritage over quite a bit of time," Merrill said.
Merrill has already changed the name from "Bishop Castle" to "Castle Church for the Redemption of the Office." He says he hopes to put a weather station on top of the castle, add a security system with cameras and hire crews to finish construction on the castle, in what he says will be in a similar way that Jim built it.
"I don't see any problem, what I've been doing is helping them out and putting and implementing Jim's dream," he said.
At this time, the Bishop family is seeking legal action against the new owner for possible elder abuse.
Merrill tells News5 he does however plan to keep the castle open to the public on a donation basis. Valerie Bishop Moore:
In my dad's weakened state from his illness, an acquaintance of his talked him into making ( what he believed)was a TRUST to protect the castle in case things took a turn for the worse with his health. This man, David Merrill, made himself trustee and was to only attend to the up keep of the castle. But now he is claiming to be the owner and has started to change things on and around the castle including the name.
David Merrill is FIRED as TRUSTEE he is NOT the owner of Bishop Castle.
If anyone sees him at Bishop Castle he is NOT welcome.
BISHOP CASTLE, Jim and Phoebe Bishop were preyed upon by this man.
This is what Jim Bishop wants. He is getting better day by day and will be back at his castle soon.
A frequent visitor of the castle and friend of the creator is now in charge but the family who built the attraction says they were conned into signing over the deed.
The creator of the castle, Jim Bishop, has been fighting a rare form of cancer for the past few months and his family now feels like they've been taken advantage of.
"How can one individual do this to someone they claim they admire and respect and love?" Phoebe Bishop, Jim's wife said.
Brick by brick, this castle is what Jim dedicated his life to building, tucked away in the San Isabel National Forest.
"I feel like the castle was stolen from us," she said.
Earlier this year, a man by the name of David Merrill showed up at Bishop's door with a pile of paperwork to sign.
"And I'm sitting there puzzled, Jimmy is shaking, he is a wreck, he can't think, he doesn't like to listen to anything," she said.
Phoebe says she was conned into signing over the deed and that she was under the impression they would be in a better tax situation.
As Jim battles a rare form of cancer, his wife says the family was taken advantage of.
"Worst thing I think I've done in my life, signing those papers," she said.
News5 took these claims to the new owner, David Merrill.
"I'm fully aware of their state of mind when they were doing this and she was asking all the right questions that somebody about to transfer property was asking," David Merrill, the new owner said.
Jim Bishop on the other hand, not feeling so well.
"He was feeling a little bit less but we did already discuss the convergence and the heritage over quite a bit of time," Merrill said.
Merrill has already changed the name from "Bishop Castle" to "Castle Church for the Redemption of the Office." He says he hopes to put a weather station on top of the castle, add a security system with cameras and hire crews to finish construction on the castle, in what he says will be in a similar way that Jim built it.
"I don't see any problem, what I've been doing is helping them out and putting and implementing Jim's dream," he said.
At this time, the Bishop family is seeking legal action against the new owner for possible elder abuse.
Merrill tells News5 he does however plan to keep the castle open to the public on a donation basis. Valerie Bishop Moore:
In my dad's weakened state from his illness, an acquaintance of his talked him into making ( what he believed)was a TRUST to protect the castle in case things took a turn for the worse with his health. This man, David Merrill, made himself trustee and was to only attend to the up keep of the castle. But now he is claiming to be the owner and has started to change things on and around the castle including the name.
David Merrill is FIRED as TRUSTEE he is NOT the owner of Bishop Castle.
If anyone sees him at Bishop Castle he is NOT welcome.
BISHOP CASTLE, Jim and Phoebe Bishop were preyed upon by this man.
This is what Jim Bishop wants. He is getting better day by day and will be back at his castle soon.
Organizer and beneficiary
Renee Edwards Spillman
Organizer
Garden City, KS
Donita Bishop
Beneficiary