California, December 11: A San Diego interior designer, identified as Jade Janks is accused of killing her ex-stepfather after she found out on his computer. According to the reports, the 39-year-old woman killed 64-year-old Thomas Merriman, a butterfly farm owner, by drugging, choking, and strangling him on New Year's Eve 2020. Janks, however, denies the murder charge, the report added.

The body of Thomas was found in January 2021, under a pile of trash at California's Solana Beach home he shared with his stepdaughter. As per the Daily Mail, the 'photos' were taken more than a decade ago, consensually, by Janks and her boyfriend. It’s unclear how they came into Merriman’s possession, the prosecutor said. However, Janks found the photos while she was cleaning her stepfather’s apartment, who had been hospitalized. It was stated in court that Janks used a plastic bag to suffocate Merriman, Daily Mail reports. US Shocker: Man Has Sex With Friend's Dog in Public, Damages Church Property in Florida; Arrested.

Merriman was discharged on New Year's Eve after spending the night in the hospital following a fall. He was picked up from a nursing facility by Janks and was given a supply of drugs before leaving the facility, Jank's attorney said. When cleaning his room, Janks tripped over the computer, only to find her nude photo as the screensaver. Prosecutors allege that Janks then began plotting to murder her stepfather. Prosecutors also put forward the text messages that Janks sent to various friends. Adam Siplyak, a friend who had responded to her request for help, visited the house on New Year's Eve but refused to help get rid of the body. The next day, he went to the police to report the events that transpired. Bengaluru Shocker: Youth Blackmails Girl With Her Private Video, Threatens To Leak It for Sex; Arrested.

Janks has been out on $1 million bail since her arrest, however, she does wear a GPS anklet. The officer who arrested her said that Janks was calm when she was detained. Despite the fact that her mother had long since divorced Merriman, the pair were still close.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 11, 2022 04:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).