John "Ace" Merrill is the primary antagonist in the novella The Body from Different Seasons (and, consequently the novella's film version, Stand By Me), as well as a secondary antagonist in the novel Needful Things. Ace lived most of his life in Castle Rock, Maine (except in Stand By Me, in which Castle Rock is located in Oregon). After being caught by Sheriff Alan Pangborn in the early-to-mid-80s for breaking and entering, Ace was sent to Shawshank Penitentiary for 4 years. After being released, Ace eventually made his way back to Castle Rock. He died there in 1991.