A woman allegedly killed her stepfather after finding naked images of herself

A woman is accused of drugging and strangling her estranged stepfather after finding nude photos of her on his computer in Solana Beach, California.

One of the images the man allegedly used as a screensaver, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Wednesday.

Assistant District Attorney Jorge Del Portillo said the discovery of the photos upset interior designer Jade Sasha Janks, who pleaded not guilty, adding, “It was no accident. It was a murder on purpose.

However, the woman’s lawyer claimed that Thomas Merriman died due to poor health and a mixture of pills he had made.

Lawyer Marc Carlos argued that the science did not support the strangulation act.

Californian interior designer Jade Janks killed her stepfather for keeping nude photos of her: prosecutors https://t.co/t4rfOIVx2A pic.twitter.com/wKNBbuJyll

— New York Post (@nypost) December 11, 2022

The newspaper noted that Merriman was the co-founder of an Encinitas-based nonprofit organization known as Butterfly Farms.

“I didn’t realize until today that I was spending more time with him than with my kids,” Butterfly Farms’ Pat Flanagan said after Merriman’s death in 2021, adding that he was shocked by the news.

The man’s body was found on January 2, 2021, lying under a pile of trash near his residence.

“The prosecutor said the cause of death was acute intoxication with sleeping pills. But, he said, Janks told people that she drugged him and tried to choke him. Union-Tribune indicated report.

Shortly before his death, Janks picked him up from a rehab center where he was recovering from a fall.

Murder trial begins for Solana Beach woman accused of killing her former stepfather https://t.co/hqUJuoFIWY pic.twitter.com/ETYVJ90n63

— Vista Kick (@VistaKick) December 8, 2022

“According to attorneys, Janks was tidying up Merriman’s apartment in late December 2020 when she bumped into his computer, woke him up, and then saw his naked picture as a screensaver. She searched the computer and found several more images,” the newspaper said.

It’s unclear how the photos eventually came into Merriman’s possession, but Janks apparently took them consensually with her boyfriend years before.

Del Portillo maintained that she plotted his death and wanted it to look like an overdose. She also reportedly texted others trying to find help.

In 2021, Flanagan said of Merriman and the farm: “Tom was passionate, just like me, and it’s hard to walk away from something that feels good and you are passionate about.”