PROVO, Utah (Court TV) — A former nurse convicted in the death of her best friend offered a tearful apology to the court at her sentencing on Monday.
Meggan Sundwall appears in court for her sentencing on May 4, 2026. (Court TV)
Meggan Sundwall, 48, was convicted in March of manslaughter and obstruction of justice in the death of her friend, Kacee Lyn Terry. Prosecutors had charged Sundwall, a former nurse, with aggravated murder; the jury found her guilty of lesser charges.
“Meggan is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She’s evil, deceiving, manipulative and controlling,” Terry’s sister, Kylee Clark, said in a victim impact statement on Monday. Addressing the defendant, she said, “This day should have never happened. You had so many opportunities to do the right things. We had talked so many times over the years when you’d reach out to me about Kacee’s life insurance policies and her health and I told you that she was not telling you the truth, but your greed got the better of you and you chose not to listen.”
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At Sundwall’s trial, prosecutors told the jury that Terry had been lying to the defendant and her own family by claiming that she had terminal cancer. An autopsy confirmed she had no serious health issues; testimony at trial suggested that Terry had lied about her health in a bid for attention. Prosecutors said that regardless of whether Sundwall believed Terry was ill or not, the defendant helped the victim to kill herself with a fatal dose of insulin because Sundwall believed herself to be the beneficiary of a fictitious $1.5 million life insurance policy.
While Sundwall’s defense had argued that she was not an active participant in Terry’s death, the defendant conceded her role in an apology delivered at her sentencing. “I’m grateful for this opportunity in open court to apologize, especially to Kacee’s family, for what happened. If it wasn’t for my role, Kacee would likely still be alive,” Sundwall said. “Whether I believed she was suffering so immensely or not, encouraging her and supporting her in committing suicide was morally wrong, and I’m so sorry. I know these are just words and they can’t bring her back, but I am truly so sorry for the role I played in her death. I wish I could take it back. I’m just so sorry.”
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Sundwall gave a statement to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole as part of a presentencing investigation. While the interview and accompanying documents are sealed to the public, Judge Sean Petersen read a portion of Sundwall’s words into the record. “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. 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. I will have to live with that shame, the absolute regret, the overwhelming remorse at my role every day, every hour, every minute, every second for the rest of my life.” Petersen told the defendant that he appreciated her statement, noting it showed self-awareness that he called “rare.”
Sundwall’s defense had urged Petersen to sentence her to probation, but the defendant’s words failed to sway him. He sentenced Sundwall to indeterminate sentences of 1-15 years for manslaughter and 0-5 years for obstruction of justice, to be served concurrently. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will determine when she is released.
