A healthcare professional in Santaquin, Utah has been sentenced to prison following a dark pact that ended in a fatal overdose. The nurse provided a lethal cocktail of drugs to her best friend, who had spent years maintaining a disturbing deception about a terminal illness.
A judge ordered Meggan Sundwall to serve up to 15 years behind bars this Monday for her role in the death of a close friend who had lied about having cancer. The former Santaquin nurse was convicted earlier this year on charges of manslaughter and tampering with evidence linked to the 2024 passing of 38-year-old Kacee Lyn Terry.
🔹We Want Nothing BUT Justice for Kacee Lyn Terry! 🔹Meggan Randall Sundwall is accused of killing Kacee Lyn Terry, whom she had convinced was sick with cancer, to cash in on Kacee Lyn Terry’s life insurance policy.#KaceeLynTerry#JusticeForKaceeLynTerry#Utah#TrueCrimepic.twitter.com/qrCKppp43l
While addressing the judge at hersentencing, Sundwall confessed to being involved in the circumstances that led to Terry's death, though her lawyers argued she wasn't an active participant in Terry's death. 'If it wasn't for my role, Kacee likely would still be alive,' Sundwall said.
Judge Sean Peterson ordered Sundwall to serve between one and 15 years for manslaughter, alongside a zero-to-five-year term for hindering the investigation. These sentences will be served at the same time, following the nurse's decision to help Terry end her life using a lethal combination of insulin and promethazine.
Terry's uncle discovered her unresponsive and gasping for air on 12 August 2024, yet Sundwall remained in the room without seeking emergency assistance or providing medical care. While Sundwall asserted that Terry had a do-not-resuscitate order in place, those handling the case were unable to find any evidence of such a document.
Despite Terry's insistence that she was battling various health issues, including cancer, a post-mortem examination revealed she was cancer-free and had no record of ever having the condition.
'Whether I believed that she was suffering so immensely or not, encouraging her and supporting her in committing suicide was morally wrong, and I'm so sorry,' Sundwall said. 'I know these are just words, and they can't bring her back, but I am truly so sorry for the role that I played in her death, and I wish I could take it back.'
Sundwall provided a statement to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole for a pre-sentencing report, and though the files remain private, Judge Sean Petersen shared an excerpt during the hearing. 'Because I believe she was suffering so immensely, I did not discourage her from ending her own life; in fact, I am extremely ashamed to admit that I encouraged her to end her life,' she said.
'I've spent countless hours pondering how I could have allowed myself to lose sight of my own beliefs, how I allowed myself to stray so far from the very core of my being, my principles, my character. But for the role I played, Kaycee might still be alive today.
Source: International Business Times UK
