Nurse Arrested in Friend’s Fatal Insulin Poisoning
HIGHLAND, Utah — A registered nurse from Santaquin, Utah, has been arrested and charged with fatally poisoning her friend with insulin, allegedly to collect on a life insurance policy. Meggan Randall Sundwall, 47, now faces charges of aggravated murder and obstruction of justice in connection to the death of 38-year-old Kacee Lyn Terry.
Court documents indicate that over the course of nearly five years, Sundwall, a registered nurse, used thousands of text messages to try to persuade Terry to end her own life. According to the medical examiner, Terry believed she had cancer but was actually healthy. Sundwall allegedly believed she was the beneficiary of a $1.5 million life insurance policy held by Terry, according to a police booking affidavit.
The Incident
On August 12, Lone Peak police and firefighters responded to a medical emergency at a Highland residence. Upon arrival, they found Terry unresponsive. Terry’s uncle told police he discovered her unconscious and struggling to breathe in her bedroom with Sundwall. The uncle stated that Sundwall told him Terry had been in that condition for ‘a couple of hours.’ The uncle also mentioned in his 911 call that Terry had ‘major, major health issues,’ and it ‘sounds like she’s drowning.’ Sundwall informed the uncle that Terry had a ‘do not resuscitate’ order and did not want to go to the hospital but medical staff were unable to find such an order.
Officers on site found a diabetic needle, although Terry was not diabetic. Terry was taken to a Lehi hospital, where doctors discovered her blood sugar level was dangerously low, at 14. While Terry was in the intensive care unit, her sister told medical staff that Terry had been diagnosed with leukemia several years prior when she was roommates with Sundwall, 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.
Sundwall also had her father, visit to give Terry “LDS ‘release blessings’ to help her pass on”, the search warrant states. Terry never regained consciousness and was declared brain dead. She died a few days later on August 15.
Victim’s Life and Cause of Death
Terry’s obituary described Terry as someone who dreamed of being a mother, and although she never had children of her own, “she filled the role of mom to many kids.” The obituary also noted that Terry “found great joy in helping people.” The Office of the Medical Examiner confirmed Terry’s cause of death was an overdose of promethazine, probable exogenous insulin, and other drugs. An investigation revealed a blood glucose monitor on the scene, showing a consistently low level of blood sugar.
Investigators believe the only way to get a blood sugar level that low is through exogenous insulin. Police said Sundwall texted Terry just before 10 a.m. the day of the incident and sent a text that said: “Do you want to take some promethazine when I get there so that you are asleep when this is happening?” Additional texts from Sundwall to her mother suggest she had trouble waking Terry.
The arrest report states, “Meggan, a nurse, did not call for medical help for Kacee nor did she provide lifesaving care. It was another seven hours before Kacee’s uncle discovered her and called 911.” It was later revealed, based on information from Terry’s primary care physician, that Terry never had cancer and an autopsy revealed no health problems. The police booking affidavit stated, “There was nothing terminally wrong with Kacee Terry.”
Evidence and Investigation
According to the police, they were informed by Terry’s family and friends that Sundwall had been trying to kill Terry with insulin for years. Detectives found this theory to be supported by digital evidence located on Terry’s phone. Investigators discovered a series of over 28,000 text messages between Sundwall and Terry beginning in December 2019. According to the booking affidavit, early text messages suggested that Sundwall believed Terry was very sick and detailed different ways Sundwall would kill herself if she were Terry as well as “Meggan offering to ‘help’ Kacee die.” The texts also discuss how Sundwall and her husband were having money problems, and she lost her job, but the issues would be solved by Terry dying, and Sundwall receiving the life insurance payout, according to the affidavit. Authorities also found evidence that Sundwall looked for Terry’s life insurance policy after her death and that she had deleted more than 900 texts from her phone. The police booking affidavit concluded, “Meggan Randall Sundwall is a licensed registered nurse who intentionally administered insulin to a nondiabetic. Meggan knew this would kill Kacee. Evidence shows that Meggan was having money problems and that this was done to improve her financial situation.”
