The prosecution and defense gave two very different versions of what happened when a woman killed her stepfather after discovering her nude photos on his computer.
On January 2, 2021, officers doing a welfare check discovered the death of 64-year-old butterfly farmer Thomas Merriman under a trash pile in his driveway.
On the morning of New Year's Eve, his stepdaughter, interior designer Jade Janks, took him up from the facility where he was recovering from a fall. She was charged with murder at the scene and pleaded not guilty.
The medical examiner determined that acute zolpidem intoxication was the cause of death. Zolpidem, also known as Ambien, is a type of sleeping aid.
According to the San Diego Union Tribune, Deputy District Attorney Jorge Del Portillo stated in court that the defendant was guilty:
“„This was no accident. This was murder by design.- Deputy District Attorney Jorge Del Portillo
The prosecution said that Janks discovered a nude photo of her as Merriman's screensaver while cleaning his flat in December of 2020.
According to reports, she then checked her computer and discovered further images she had taken with a boyfriend over a decade ago. The district attorney says that this finding made Janks "beyond scared" before she allegedly planned to kill him.
A number of text messages made from Janks' phone on New Year's Eve, after picking up Merriman from the care facility, were produced in court as evidence by the district attorney.
Among the several texts: "I just dosed the hell out of him," "He's waking up. I really don't want to be the one to do this,""I can't carry him alone and I can't keep a kicking body in my trunk"and "I am about to club him on the head as he is waking up."
The prosecution referred to one of the individuals she reportedly texted as a "fixer of sorts," but that person declined to assist her. The individual who called in the welfare check was another recipient of texts. As they were leaving the residence, authorities discovered Merriman's body under a pile of blankets and boxes.
The counsel for Janks said that Merriman died due to "his own cocktail" of medications and general poor health. "The medical examiner will not tell you it was strangulation. The science does not support strangulation," In addition, they asserted that Merriman misused medications and alcohol and departed the care facility with numerous prescriptions.
Jade Janks is 39 years old.
Thomas Merriman was Jade Janks' stepfather.
A California interior designer woman killed her stepfather after discovering her nude photos on his computer. Jade Janks, 39, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the killing of Thomas Merriman, 64, a campaigner for monarch butterflies.
A friend of Janks also testified, confirming that Janks told her that her stepfather had "scantily dressed" images of her on his screensaver, but stating that Janks never indicated that she was considering vengeance. The trial for Janks, who faces life in jail, is proceeding.