VISTA — A jury found Jade Janks of Solana Beach guilty of first-degree murder on Wednesday in the death of her former stepfather Thomas Merriman after a day of deliberation.
The verdict concludes a 10-day trial at the Superior Court North County courthouse in Vista, where jurors heard from nearly 20 witnesses and experts. Jurors went into deliberation Tuesday morning.
Janks faces 25 years to life in state prison when she is sentenced; a hearing is currently set for April 3.
Merriman, 64, was found dead under a pile of cardboard boxes in his driveway on Jan. 2, 2021, with the cause of death determined to be acute intoxication by zolpidem, a sleep aid also known as Ambien.
The District Attorney’s Office charged Janks with murdering Merriman, the co-founder of the Butterfly Farms in Encinitas, arguing that she drugged, suffocated and strangled him on New Year’s Eve 2020 after picking him up from the hospital.
In closing statements on Monday, Deputy District Attorney Jorge Del Portillo urged jurors to find Janks guilty of first-degree murder, reminding them of her alleged confessions to two witnesses, her “plan” referenced in text messages in the days leading up to his death and her lies to law enforcement about Merriman’s whereabouts.
“He was a real, breathing person that she took away,” Del Portillo said. “We know he had his issues, his conduct, but this trial is not about his conduct. He didn’t get a trial, he didn’t get the due process that Ms. Janks had. She was the judge, jury and executioner.”
Janks’ defense team claimed in their closing statement that there was no hard evidence to confirm the prosecution’s theory that Merriman was strangled or suffocated, and called into question the credibility of the two witnesses who testified about Janks’ alleged confessions.
Defense attorney Marc Carlos also said Janks panicked when she allegedly discovered her former stepfather dead in his car, as she testified, and that she was simply afraid of being blamed.
“Ms. Janks loved her stepfather — she would have never hurt him. She panicked, and that’s why she’s here,” Carlos said. “But panic is not a crime, and speculation is not evidence.”
At the most, Carlos said, the jury should find Janks guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
This story will be updated.
