On December 21, 2022, Interior Designer Jade Janks, was found guilty of murdering her stepfather after discovering hundreds of naked pictures of herself on his computer. The California native was convicted of the first-degree murder of Thomas Merriman. Throughout the trial, Jade maintained her innocence, claiming that the deceased had passed away from an illness.
However, the prosecution was out to put the interior designer behind bars as they noted that Thomas’s death was not by accident but by design. They argued that Janks, 39 years old, drugged, strangled and suffocated Merriman with a plastic bag on New Year’s Eve 2020, after she stumbled upon racy photos of herself on his computer while cleaning his bedroom following his hospitalization for a fall, The Coast News reports.
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Sadly, all efforts from Jade and her attorney to prove her innocence were a waste, as she was eventually found guilty. Not long after the trial ended, a video of the forewoman delivering the jury’s final decision went viral and made it to a certain Reddit page .
Although the forewoman’s face wasn’t shown, her voice could be heard delivering the final verdict. The clip also captured Jade’s reaction when she heard the court’s decision. The defendant seemed surprised as she immediately looked over to her lawyer, who was sitting next to her, upon being declared guilty of murder in the first degree. Throughout the rest of the clip, Jade and her lawyer discussed deeply, while the former wore her stunned and troubled look.
The Forewoman Delivers The Verdict As Jade Watches On
“It was the most violating, awful, gut-wrenching feeling ever,” Janks testified. “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.”
Prosecutors said Janks admitted to killing her stepdad to at least two individuals, including a “fixer,” who she turned to for assistance.
“I just dosed the hell out of him,” Janks texted the fixer, KNSD-TV reports.
What Did Redditors Make Of The clip?
Over seven thousand Redditors have jumped in to share their thoughts about Jade’s situation. Most commented on the defendant’s reaction noting that it was absurd for her to react in that way to the verdict. According to her, the evidence against her, which included texts of her admitting to drugging the deceased, was overwhelming. Some users also called Jade an unwise criminal, pointing out her decision to send texts about her supposed criminal actions.
Away from Jade’s reaction, other Reddit users addressed the defendant’s crime. According to the netizens, finding one’s nude photos on another’s device could be traumatizing, but murder wasn’t the right way. They suggested gathering sufficient evidence and handling the situation by the law. To them, finding naked pictures of herself was no excuse for murder.
Meanwhile, Jade faces up to 25 years in state prison at the next hearing scheduled to take place on April 3, 2023.
Redditors Share Their Thoughts On The Issue
The Murder Case Could Be Ideal For A Docuseries
A Thought For The Defendant’s Feelings
