Meagan Grunwald was a seventeen year old teen killer from Utah when she was convicted of the murder of Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Cory Wride.
According to court documents Meagan Grunwald and her boyfriend Jose Angel Garcia Juaregui were approach by the Officer as they sat in a pickup. Juaregui would fire at the Officer fatally wounding him. Megan would take off and a police chase would ensue where Jose Angel Garcia Juarequi would be killed and another Officer would be injuries
Meagan Grunwald would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. However on appeal Meagan sentence was reduced to thirty years in prison
Meagan Grunwald Now
Offender Number: 223233 Offender Name: MEAGAN DAKOTA GRUNWALD Location: UTAH STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY Housing Facility: USCF D
Meagan Grunwald Case
A Utah woman will serve up to 30 years in prison for her involvement with the death of a police officer as a teenager, a sentence that comes after the state Supreme Court overturned her original conviction.
Meagan Grunwald’s boyfriend fired the fatal shots, but her role as a 17-year-old getaway driver originally got her a sentence of up to life in prison in the slaying of Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Cory Wride.
“While we have extended the hand of forgiveness, we have not forgotten,” his widow, Nannette Wride said Monday, according to FOX 13.
He was shot by Jose Angel Garcia Juaregui in 2014 after Wride happened upon the couple’s pickup truck on a snowy day in 2014.
Grunwald drove off after the shooting, sparking a multi-county chase that ended with Juaregui’s death. Another deputy, Greg Sherwood, was shot in the head and survived.
Grunwald later testified that the 27-year-old Juaregui had forced her to drive.
Prosecutors, though, argued she wanted to help him. She was convicted of murder under Utah accomplice law, but the state’s top court later overturned the verdict, citing faulty jury instructions.
Grunwald later pleaded guilty to second-degree felony charges of manslaughter and assault on a police officer.
Grunwald has already served about seven years.
Meagan Grunwald News
On July 8, 2015, Ms. Grunwald was sentenced to 25 years to life for the aggravated murder, 15 to life for attempted aggravated murder, and additional terms for her various other crimes.
At approximately 1:00 p.m. on January 30, 2014, Sgt. Corey Wride of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office stopped to assist a white Toyota Tundra parked along Highway 73 in Eagle Mountain, Utah. After making contact with the occupants in the vehicle, Sgt. Wride returned to his vehicle and was typing on his computer.
Jose Angel Garcia Juaregui, a passenger in the Tundra, opened up the back window of the Tundra and fired 7 shots at Sgt. Wride. While still firing the shots, Meagan Grunwald, the driver of the Tundra, sped away. Sgt. Wride died from injuries sustained from the gunshot wounds. Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes later, the Tundra was spotted in Santaquin, Utah and Deputy Greg Sherwood began pursuit.
During the pursuit, Grunwald aggressively applied the brakes–closing the distance between the Turndra and Deputy Sherwood’s vehicle– while Juaregui once again opened the Tundra’s back window and fired several shots at Deputy Sherwood. Deputy Sherwood suffered a serious injury to his head but he survived the gunshot wounds. Additional officers pursued the Tundra into Juab County where the pair carjacked a vehicle and continued fleeing. Officers were able to spike the tires of the newly carjacked vehicle and after crashing the vehicle, both Juaregui and Grunwald jumped from the vehicle and attempted to flee. Officers exchanged gunfire with Juaregui and Juaregui was shot and killed.
On April 28, 2015, a jury of six women and two men began hearing evidence in the case against Meagan Grunwald. After almost two weeks of trial, where nearly 70 witnessed testified, the jury found Grunwald guilty of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, felony discharge of a firearm, evading police, criminal mischief and failure to remain at the scene of an accident. Grunwald was found not guilty of one count of attempted aggravated murder. Grunwald will be sentenced on July 8, 2015, and faces the possibility of life in prison.
https://www.utahcounty.gov/Dept/Atty/Media/NewsDetails.asp?ID=132016
