This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • A two-week trial was set Monday for the Draper teen charged in connection to a January shooting, in which she and her boyfriend allegedly tore through two counties as he shot and killed one police officer and wounded another.
Meagan Dakota Grunwald, now 18, is charged as an adult with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, and 11 other charges related to the Jan. 30 death of Utah County Sgt. Cory Wride near Lehi and the wounding of Utah County Sheriff's Deputy Greg Sherwood in Santaquin.
On Monday, the teen made a brief court appearance, where a two-week trial was scheduled to begin Feb. 10.
Grunwald's attorney, Dean Zabriskie, said outside of court that they will soon file a "notice of compulsion" with the court — formally announcing that she will claim that she was forced by her boyfriend, 27-year-old Jose Angel Garcia-Jauregui, to drive the truck during the Jan. 30 crime spree.
Zabriskie said Monday that his client is looking forward to resolving her case.
"She's a little girl," he said. "She's suffering. She wants to get this resolved. She's locked up in … a cold, dark world."
Deputy Utah County Attorney Sam Pead told reporters that he believed two weeks would provide enough time to adequately present evidence to the jury — which will likely include dash-cam video from several police vehicles that show the high-speed chase and shootings unfold.
Pead said the case will come down to "what the jury believes the defendant's motivation was."
In August, 4th District Judge Darold McDade ruled that the trial for the teen will stay in Utah County — rejecting Zabriskie's argument that she will be unable to get a fair trial there because of pretrial publicity and because Wride and Sherwood both worked for the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Following that ruling, Zabriskie told reporters that he planned to meet with prosecutors to discuss plea negotiations before Grunwald appears in court for a scheduling conference, which was originally scheduled for mid-August and was postponed until Monday.
Both Pead and Zabriskie said they are still talking about resolving the case before trial, but did not provide further details.
Grunwald, who was 17 at the time of the alleged crimes, faces up to life in prison. She is charged in adult court with 10 felonies and two misdemeanors in connection with the events that also left Garcia-Jauregui dead.
Grunwald is being held at the Salt Lake County jail on a $1 million cash-only bail.
Twitter: @jm_miller