Utah Nurse on Trial for Killing Friend to Collect Life Insurance

Meggan Sundwall, a registered nurse from Santaquin, Utah, sat with her attorneys on March 11, 2026, as prosecutors told jurors she "had a plan" to go to her friend's house and inject her with insulin until she died. Kacee Lyn Terry, 38, was found unconscious and struggling to breathe at her Highland home on August 12, 2024, a diabetic needle visible at the scene despite the fact that she was not diabetic.

Deputy Utah County attorney July Thomas framed the case around a years-long financial motive: Terry had repeatedly told Sundwall she was the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, one that documents suggest Sundwall believed was worth $1.5 million. A search of Sundwall's phone uncovered over 28,000 texts between the two women dating back to December 2019, including four years of messages detailing methods Sundwall offered to "help" Terry die. Additional texts revealed discussions of Sundwall's financial problems and how a life insurance payout would resolve them.

The most damning piece of evidence arrived at 9:47 a.m. on the morning of Terry's death. Sundwall texted Terry: "Do you want to take some promethazine when I get there so that you are asleep when this is happening?" Sundwall arrived shortly before 10 a.m. and later admitted she was the only person with Terry all day. The medical examiner determined Terry's cause of death was an overdose of promethazine, probable insulin, and other drugs, with the manner of death ruled undetermined. A post-mortem autopsy confirmed Terry had no underlying health issues, despite having reported a myriad of conditions to Sundwall and her family over the years.

The police report summary put it plainly: "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."

The defense conceded Sundwall was present at Terry's home that day but maintained that Terry took her own life. Jurors were told they may consider assisted suicide as a lesser included charge to aggravated murder when deliberating. Prosecutors pushed back against that framing in openings, arguing that while investigators initially believed Sundwall had convinced Terry she was sick with terminal cancer, the evidence actually showed the opposite: Terry had feigned illness to Sundwall and her own family seeking attention and sympathy.

After Terry's death, Sundwall reportedly searched for the life insurance policy and deleted over 900 texts from her phone. She now faces charges of aggravated murder and obstruction of justice. The Utah Division of Professional Licensing has also reportedly launched a separate investigation into her nursing license. Jurors must ultimately decide whether Sundwall encouraged a friend to die or killed her outright.