A registered nurse in Utah is accused of fatally injecting her friend with insulin after deceiving her into believing she had terminal cancer, according to police.
Registered nurse Meggan Randall Sundwall, 47, is charged with first-degree aggravated murder and third-degree obstruction of justice in the death of her friend, Kacee Lyn Terry, 38. Law enforcement officials allege that Sundwall administered a lethal dose of insulin to Terry, reportedly hoping to collect on a $1.5 million life insurance policy.
Police documents, which recently surfaced, reveal that the deadly injection occurred over the summer. The investigation uncovered over 28,000 text messages exchanged between the two women, displaying Sundwall’s fixation with helping her friend commit suicide. The communications, which started in December 2019, reportedly included details from Sundwall about how she would end her own life if she were Terry, and offers to “help” her friend die, according to the police. The messages also touched upon Sundwall’s financial struggles and how being the beneficiary of Terry’s life insurance policy would resolve her money troubles. It remains unclear if Terry even had such a policy, but Sundwall apparently believed she did and that the nurse would receive a $1.5 million payment.
Terry’s family expressed relief after hearing about Sundwall’s arrest, saying that they believed she had been trying to hurt her for an extended period.
On the morning of August 12, Sundwall sent Terry a text that read, “Do you want to take some promethazine when I get there so that you are asleep when this is happening?” according to KUTV.
Police were called to Terry’s home after her uncle found her unconscious, gasping for air. Sundwall told investigators that she had been with Terry all morning, and that Terry had been suffering for hours that day.
Terry, who was neither diabetic nor suffering from cancer, was rushed to the hospital with a blood sugar level of 14. A blood sugar level of 40 or less is considered life-threatening. Paramedics found a diabetic needle at the scene. Sundwall also claimed that Terry had a do-not-resuscitate order and did not want to go to the hospital.
An autopsy revealed that Terry had neither cancer nor any other underlying health issues. No DNR order was established. The Office of the Medical Examiner said Terry’s cause of death was an overdose of insulin, promethazine and other drugs. Following Terry’s death, Sundwall reportedly deleted over 900 text messages and looked for Terry’s life insurance policy.
