s ▁employ ers . ▁ ▁At ▁the ▁time , ▁prince ▁ab bot ▁B alth as ar ▁von ▁D ern bach , ▁who ▁had ▁returned ▁to ▁power ▁in ▁ 1 6 0 2 ▁after ▁a ▁long ▁ex ile , ▁ordered ▁an ▁investigation ▁of ▁w itch craft ▁in ▁the ▁city . ▁Over ▁two ▁hundred ▁people ▁were ▁executed ▁for ▁w itch craft ▁in ▁w itch ▁tri als ▁that ▁last ed ▁until ▁his ▁death ▁in ▁ 1 6 0 5 . ▁▁ ▁In ▁March ▁ 1 6 0 3 , ▁the ▁investig ations ▁resulted ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁wave ▁of ▁arr ests ▁in ▁the ▁city . ▁On ▁ 1 9 ▁June , ▁Mer ga ▁was ▁arrested ▁and ▁put ▁in ▁j ail . ▁Her ▁husband ▁protest ed ▁before ▁the ▁Reich sk ammer gericht ▁in ▁Spe yer ▁and ▁pointed ▁out ▁that ▁she ▁was ▁pre gn ant . ▁In ▁j ail , ▁she ▁was ▁forced ▁to ▁conf ess ▁to ▁the ▁murder ▁of ▁her ▁second ▁husband ▁and ▁her ▁children ▁with ▁him ▁and ▁one ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁family ▁of ▁her ▁husband ' s ▁employ ers , ▁and ▁that ▁she ▁had ▁taken ▁part ▁in ▁a ▁s abb ath ▁of ▁Sat an . ▁Her ▁pre gn ancy ▁was ▁considered ▁an ▁ag gra v ating ▁circumst ance ; ▁she ▁and ▁her ▁husband ▁had ▁had ▁no ▁children ▁although ▁they ▁had ▁been ▁married ▁for ▁four teen ▁years . ▁She ▁was ▁forced ▁to ▁conf ess ▁that ▁her ▁current ▁pre gn ancy ▁was ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁inter course ▁with ▁the ▁Dev il . ▁ ▁Bien ▁was ▁jud ged ▁guilty ▁of