HIGHLAND, Utah – A nurse has been arrested and accused of murdering her friend and former roommate to claim a life insurance policy, according to reports.
Meggan Randall Sundwall, 47, allegedly administered a fatal dose of insulin to her friend, Kacee Lyn Terry, 38, according to KUTV. Authorities believe Sundwall intended to collect on a $1.5 million life insurance policy believed to be held by Terry, as stated in a police booking affidavit.
Emergency responders were called to a home in August after Terry’s uncle found her unresponsive and struggling to breathe, KSL reported. The uncle told the 911 operator that Terry had “major, major health issues” and seemed to be “drowning,” according to the report.
Sundwall, who admitted to being alone with Terry all day, told Terry’s uncle that Terry had been suffering for “several hours,” KUTV reported. Police documents indicate that Sundwall sent Terry a text message that morning, asking, “Do you want to take some promethazine when I get there so that you are asleep when this is happening?”
Sundwall claimed Terry had a do-not-resuscitate order and didn’t want to be hospitalized. However, Terry was not diabetic, and a diabetic needle was found at the home. Upon arrival at the hospital, Terry’s blood sugar level was measured at 14 – a level of 40 is considered life-threatening, KUTV reported. Terry’s sister informed hospital staff of a leukemia diagnosis several years prior, according to a search warrant.
“((Terry’s sister) stated that she moved Kacee out of the shared apartment and into her grandfather’s house where she lives now due to Kacee complaining about Meggan bringing insulin home and trying to talk Kacee into treatments to help end her suffering,”) according to the warrant.
Terry’s family spoke with her primary care doctor at the hospital, who confirmed that Terry never had cancer. Moreover, the autopsy revealed no existing health conditions, and a do-not-resuscitate order was not discovered. KSL reported that the doctor also confirmed that Sundwall was not Terry’s power of attorney.
Police discovered more than 28,000 text messages between the two women, dating back to December 2019, detailing various methods Sundwall could use to kill herself if she were Terry and offering to “help” her die, authorities stated. The messages also discussed Sundwall’s financial problems and how she could solve them by obtaining Terry’s life insurance money.
Sundwall was booked into the Utah County Jail on Thursday, facing charges of aggravated murder and obstruction of justice. The Office of the Medical Examiner determined Terry’s official cause of death as an overdose of promethazine, probable exogenous insulin, and other drugs.
