Utah Nurse Accused of Poisoning Former Roommate to Collect Life Insurance

By Yolanda Spivey

A Utah nurse has been arrested for allegedly poisoning her friend and former roommate in a scheme to collect a life insurance payout.

According to KUTV, 47-year-old Meggan Randall Sundwall is accused of killing 38-year-old Kacee Lyn Terry with a fatal dose of insulin. Police say Sundwall believed she was the beneficiary of a $1.5 million life insurance policy taken out by Terry.

In August, authorities were called to a home after Terry’s uncle found her unresponsive and gasping for air. He told 911 that she had “major health issues” and sounded like she was drowning. Sundwall later admitted she had been with Terry all day and said her friend had been suffering for hours.

That same morning, police say Sundwall sent a chilling text to Terry: “Do you want to take some promethazine when I get there so that you are asleep when this is happening?”

Although Sundwall claimed Terry had signed a do-not-resuscitate order and didn’t want to be hospitalized, no such document was found. Terry was not diabetic, but investigators discovered a diabetic syringe in the home. When Terry was taken to the hospital, her blood sugar level was dangerously low at 14. For context, anything below 40 is considered life-threatening.

Terry’s sister informed hospital staff that Terry had previously been told she had leukemia, which led her family to move her out of the apartment she shared with Sundwall. The sister also said Terry had complained about Sundwall bringing insulin home and offering treatments to “end her suffering.”

However, Terry’s doctor later confirmed she never had cancer, and an autopsy revealed no underlying health issues. The doctor also confirmed that Sundwall was not authorized to make medical decisions on Terry’s behalf.

Investigators uncovered more than 28,000 text messages between the two women dating back to 2019. Many of the messages reportedly involved discussions of suicide, with Sundwall repeatedly offering to help Terry die. Police also found texts discussing Sundwall’s financial struggles and the idea of solving them with Terry’s life insurance money.

Sundwall was arrested Thursday and booked into Utah County Jail on charges of aggravated murder and obstruction of justice.

The medical examiner confirmed that Terry died from a combination of promethazine, likely injected insulin, and other substances.