A butterfly activist drugged and strangled her former stepfather after discovering nude photos of herself on his laptop, prosecutors alleged.
Thomas Merriman’s physique was present in January 2021, beneath a pile of trash on the Solana Seashore, California, residence he shared with stepdaughter Jade Janks, the NY Submit reviews.
The homicide trial of Ms Janks, 39, an inside designer who co-founded the analysis non-profit Butterfly Farms, started this week in Vista Superior Courtroom.
She has pleaded not responsible to killing the 64-year-old Mr Merriman, who prosecutors stated died of an overdose of sleeping capsules Janks gave him after she found the images — one in all which he reportedly used as his screensaver.
“This was no accident,” San Diego County Deputy District Lawyer Jorge Del Portillo stated, in response to The San Diego Union-Tribune. “This was homicide by design.”
The images had been taken greater than a decade in the past, consensually, by Ms Janks and her boyfriend, authorities stated. It’s unclear how they got here into Mr Merriman’s possession.
Ms Janks discovered the images whereas she was cleansing her stepfather’s residence, who had been hospitalised, Mr Del Portillo added.
She texted with one other man about giving Mr Merriman the capsules, prosecutors contended.
“I simply dosed the hell out of him. Stopping for whiskey then at Dixieland to stall. LMK,” Ms Janks allegedly texted the day she picked Mr Merriman up from the hospital, in response to Mr Del Portillo.
Ms Janks appears to second guess her plan in one other textual content message the prosecutors shared.
“He’s waking up,” one alleged textual content learn, in response to NBC San Diego. “I actually don’t wish to be the one to do that.”
“I’m about to membership him on the top as he’s waking up,” one other learn.
Ms Janks finally referred to as one other individual for assist, stated prosecutors. That individual referred to as the authorities the following day.
Deputies then searched the house and located Mr Merriman’s physique beneath a pile of packing containers, blankets and different trash as they had been leaving.
Attorneys for Ms Janks argued that she didn’t kill Mr Merriman, who as a substitute died from poor well being and “his personal cocktail” of medicine.
“You’ll not discover any proof that he was strangled to demise,” Ms Janks’ lawyer, Marc Carlos instructed the jury.
This text initially appeared on NY Submit and was reproduced with permission
Initially revealed as California inside designer Jade Janks allegedly killed stepdad for retaining nude images of her
