Jade Janks Killed Her Stepfather on New Year's Eve 2020

This case concerns the killing of Thomas "Tom" Merriman, 64, by his stepdaughter Jade Sasha Janks on New Year's Eve 2020 in Solana Beach, California. A California jury found Janks guilty of first-degree murder, and she was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. A California appeals court upheld the conviction in October 2024, and Janks is currently serving her sentence.

On New Year's Eve, December 31, 2020, Thomas "Tom" Merriman died at his home in Solana Beach, a coastal town north of San Diego, California. His body was discovered in the days around January 1-2, 2021.

According to prosecutors, the crime was planned and carried out by Merriman's stepdaughter, Jade Sasha Janks. Prosecutors presented a central motive: that before the killing, Janks had discovered explicit and intimate photos of herself on Merriman's computer — images she reportedly had not known existed. The discovery allegedly occurred while Merriman was in a rehab center. Prosecutors argued that Janks then planned and carried out the murder by poisoning Merriman with pills.

The case drew significant attention in American media, in part because CBS News' program 48 Hours covered it extensively, examining the evidence and leads that eventually pointed to Janks.

Investigators reviewed a substantial amount of digital and physical evidence throughout 2021 and beyond. A central element of the case was Janks' own text messages, which prosecutors highlighted as strongly incriminating. CBS News reported that Janks' text message correspondence revealed parts of the alleged murder plot, and these messages played a decisive role in building the prosecution's case.

The case was investigated by California authorities and resulted in Jade Sasha Janks being charged with first-degree murder at San Diego County Superior Court.

The trial took place at San Diego County Superior Court. During the proceedings, prosecutors presented the accumulated evidence, including the text messages and witness testimony supporting the theory of a planned, premeditated murder. The trial against Janks, who was accused of killing the CEO of a nonprofit called Butterfly Farms, drew attention from local California media.

The jury found Jade Sasha Janks guilty of first-degree murder. She was subsequently sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The verdict and sentence are further detailed in local media coverage of the case.

The question of motive remained central throughout the trial. Prosecutors argued that Janks' discovery of the explicit photos of herself on Merriman's computer was the triggering cause of her decision to kill him — a motive that, according to People Magazine, shocked many following the case.

Jade Sasha Janks appealed her conviction, but in October 2024 a California appeals court upheld it. The appeal was denied, and Janks remains convicted of first-degree murder in the death of her stepfather, Thomas Merriman. She is currently serving her sentence of 25 years to life in the California prison system.