In August 1998 Merritt enrolled at the University of Southern California Law School in Los Angeles and graduated with a Juris Doctor in May 2001. While in the Marine corps, Merritt appeared in 5 adult films under the stage name Danny Orlis. Merritt attained the rank of sergeant in May 1990, but because he was transitioning to the officer program, he did not deploy to Operation Desert Storm with the reserve unit. Merritt returned to Greenville where he joined his Marine Corps Reserve unit, a company of ammunition technicians. After completing boot camp he attended a brief occupational school at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Soon after his eighteenth birthday, Merritt enlisted in the United States Marine Corps (the Marine Forces Reserve) and in January 1986 he shipped off to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. He attended Bob Jones University for two years and in 1988 transferred to Clemson University. During his high school summers he worked in various positions at The Wilds, a fundamentalist Christian camp. Merritt attended the elementary and secondary schools of Bob Jones University. Merritt was born in Greenville, South Carolina to fundamentalist Christian parents.
