We’re revisiting a shocking California crime after recent court developments.
Jade Janks, 41, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after a jury found her guilty of killing her 64-year-old stepfather, Thomas Merriman, on New Year’s Eve 2020. Authorities say Janks drugged Merriman with pain and sleeping pills before suffocating him with a plastic bag. His body was discovered the next day in his driveway, hidden under a pile of garbage.
The killing stemmed from a horrifying discovery. Prosecutors say Janks found illicit photos of herself on Merriman’s computer while cleaning his home in December 2020. The photos had originally been sent to former partners and were never intended for Merriman. Janks described the discovery as “gut-wrenching” and said it left her “disturbed to the core.”
In her testimony, she recounted the shock of seeing the images: “I felt sick, I felt I couldn’t… even touch my own skin. I don’t know if there are words; not even in a movie have I seen something so sick.”
After finding the photos, prosecutors say Janks plotted her stepfather’s murder. Text messages presented in court showed her saying, “I just dosed the hell out of him,” and joking about his impending death: “It’s going to be Weekend at Bernie’s.”
A longtime friend, Adam Siplyak, testified that Janks admitted to killing Merriman and asked for help moving his body from her car to his apartment. Siplyak refused and alerted police the next morning.
During the trial, Janks’ defense painted a complicated picture, with her attorney saying, “Jade Janks loved her stepfather. Tom Merriman loved Jade Janks. Unfortunately, Tom Merriman was a troubled individual, and he loved her in different ways.”
A few months ago, the California appellate judge upheld Janks’ conviction, cementing the 25-year prison sentence.
I feel for her but I wonder whey did she not report him
Yeah, she loved him alright!!!!!!
Lesson here is: don’t send naked pictures of yourself to ANYBODY. Use your head!!!!