Daughter Accused of Killing Butterfly Farmer Stepdad for Having Nude Images of Her

A California woman accused of killing her former stepdad after finding nude photos of herself on his computer has pleaded not guilty to his slaying.

Jade Janks, 39, is suspected of murdering 64-year-old Thomas Merriman, co-founder of Butterfly Farms, an Encinitas, Calif., research and education non-profit dedicated to the conservation of butterflies, according toThe San Diego Union-Tribune.

According to the outlet, the trial for Janks, a Solana Beach, Calif., interior designer, began Wednesday.

During opening statements, prosecutors argued Janks drugged, strangled, and suffocated Merriman with a plastic bag on New Year’s Eve 2020, after she stumbled upon her racy photos on his computer, while cleaning his bedroom following his hospitalization for a fall,The Coast Newsreports.

The discovery left her “disturbed to the core” and prompted her to orchestrate his murder, prosecutors said, according to the paper.

Although Janks' mother was no longer married to Merriman, Janks remained close with him,The Coast Newsreports.

Jade Janks.Jade Janks Interiors Facebook

Janks allegedly confessed to two people after Merriman’s slaying, including a “fixer,” who she turned to for assistance, but they never went to the crime scene, prosecutors said.

A second person Janks allegedly confided in called 911 to report the alleged murder.

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Janks' trial is currently underway.

If convicted, she faces life in prison.

source: people.com