A woman accused of killing her stepfather has opened up about the moment she found nude photos of herself on his computer.
Jade Janks, 39, began her trial in Vista Superior Court last week after the body of her stepfather - 64-year-old Thomas Merriman - was discovered under a pile of trash at the home they shared in January 2021, per the New York Post.
Janks has been accused of murder after she found out that Merriman had nude images of her stored on his computer.
Prosecutors argue that Janks drugged and strangled her stepfather after finding the images - with toxicologist Raymond Gary stating that Merriman had high levels of Ambien - a sleeping pill - in his system.
As reported by CBS 8 San Diego, Janks has opened up about the moment she discovered the images whilst cleaning the office area.
Janks said: "When I went to clean in his office area, I'm wiping things down, I bumped the mouse, and it shook the screen awake. There's a picture of female breasts on the screen. I have a beauty mark on my chest, those are my breasts."
Janks also testified that she found over 100 images of herself on her stepfather's computer and that he had even cropped the images and separated them into folders based on her different body parts.
"It was the most violating, awful, gut-wrenching feeling ever. I felt sick, I felt I couldn't even touch my own skin," Janks continued. "I don’t know if there's words, not even in a movie have I seen something so sick."
She has pleaded not guilty to the charges, but San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Jorge Del Portillo said: "This was no accident. This was murder by design," per The San Diego Union-Tribune.
According to the prosecution, Janks allegedly text a friend admitting to the crimes. It is said to have read: "I just dosed the hell out of him. Stopping for whiskey then at Dixieland to stall. LMK."
Janks has claimed that her father fell unconscious after taking the prescription pills while drinking alcohol. She went on to testify that she left him in the car to sleep it off, but when she found her stepfather unresponsive the following day, she panicked and attempted to hide the body.
It is unknown how Merriman came to possess the images, and the trial is still ongoing.
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