Jade Janks, who runs a successful interior design firm, is accused of murdering Thomas Merriman, 64, after finding multiple naked images of herself on Merriman’s computer.
However, Janks’ attorney says Merriman died of ill health and a cocktail of sleeping pills. The interior designer pleaded not guilty to the slaying, which occurred at the end of 2020.
Thomas Merriman co-founded Butterfly Farms with a business partner in 2013 and was found murdered on New Year’s Eve 2020. The prosecution argues Janks drugged, suffocated, and choked Merriman to death.
Defense Attorney Marc Carlos called attention to Merriman’s alleged history of drug and alcohol problems, and brought into evidence medication Merriman was given leaving the hospital just prior to his death. The defense argued Merriman’s death was his own doing, and that he died due to acute intoxication by Ambien.
However, a friend of Jade Janks has yet another version of what happened the night of her stepfather’s death. Janks called upon Adam Siplyak, who claims that he heard a direct confession of murder from her. Siplyak went to the home on New Year’s Eve to answer her call for help, but refused to help her hide the evidence of the murder.
Siplyak told police that Janks asked him to help make Merriman’s death look like an accident. She wanted to reposition the body on the bed to make his death seem to be a self-inflicted overdose.
Merriman and Janks’ mother Jeni married in 1995, had a son together, and filed for divorce on multiple occasions between 2002 and 2008. There were various instances of domestic abuse throughout their tumultuous marriage.