Jerry Grunwald, father of Meagan, who has never liked having Angel living with them. The original arrangement was that he would stay a single night, and that he would stay in the living room. That eventually turned into him living with them and occasionally helping with groceries and sometimes paying rent, but he had moved into Meagan’s room by this time.
Jerry was working in the garage and Tori, Meagan’s Mother, started getting into an argument over something that Jerry was working on in the garage. Jerry had fallen from a ladder while working for Draper City as a fire fighter and has been confined to a wheelchair since. Jerry and Tori were having a discussion in their bedroom when Meagan came in. “Angel has to go.” Jerry tells Meagan. That is something that he has said several times over the last year. Meagan responds, “If he has to go, I’m Leaving.”
“You’re not going nowhere!” Tori, Meagan, and Angel then start to argue with Jerry. They left the bedroom and went into the kitchen as the argument continued. During the argument Jerry ends up slapping Meagan. Meagan then hits Jerry several times. Tori was looking out the small kitchen window. As the argument got heated Angel pulled a gun and pointed at Jerry and said, “I ought to kill you, motherf***er.”
Jerry is scared and starts to head towards the door to get out of the house. Meagan stands by Jerry and tells him he is not going to touch him. Tori then looks at Angel and says, “Go ahead and shoot him. I’ll get you off.” Jerry leaves the kitchen and goes out into the garage. The police are called to the house and arrest Jerry.
Three officers from the Draper Police department arrive on scene, as they are going towards the house, they see Tori standing by the kitchen window. As they knock on the door Jerry comes out of the garage and gets in his motorized wheelchair. Jerry will not stop at a simple command and the officers have to forcefully stop him from leaving the property. He indicates that he is going to find Angel Garcia and take care of it himself. The officers stop him from leaving in a rage to “take what appeared to be [a] revengeful action.”
After they stop Jerry Officer Braegger talks to Jerry.1 Jerry is very frustrated, upset, and angry. It takes Officer Braegger some time to calm Jerry down. Officers describe his emotions as anger, irrational, nervous, hysterical, and controlling. During their conversation he is told about the gun that Angel pointed at him. Jerry tells the officers that he confronted Angel because he is 26 years old, and Meagan is only 17 and that they are having sex. Jerry was unable to describe the gun and gave officers different descriptions of the gun. He at one point identified the gun as an airsoft gun and at another point a .22 caliber handgun. Jerry stated that he slammed his daughter and pushed his daughter and wife, but claimed it was in self defense.
Officer Braegger then goes inside to interview Meagan and Tori, leaving the other officers with Jerry. Jerry orders Officer Herbert to get off his property. Officer Herbert is Mexican and he stated that he hates Mexicans and he was not going to speak to Officer Herbert. While Officer Braegger is in the house interviewing Meagan on Tori Jerry tells Officer Deutsch and Herbert that they always side with the women, so they might as well arrest him now. Jerry told the officers that he was glad a Draper Officer was shot and killed, he wished that more officers would have been killed.
On September 1st 2013, Sergeant Derek R. Johnson stopped to help a disabled car with two occupants in the vehicle. They ambushed Sergeant Johnson who then tried to move his vehicle away from danger where he lost consciousness, lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a tree. The driver then shot his female passenger and himself. Sergeant Johnson succumbed to his wounds but the other two survived their wounds and pleaded guilty to murder and were sentenced to life in prison.
Meagan told the officers that she heard Tori and Jerry arguing and asked them to stop fighting. Jerry then told her that Angel was a child molester and became argumentative. Angel then left the home and Jerry tried to hit him as he left. Meagan then tried to protect Angel from her father and Jerry then slapped Meagan. Meagan then retreated to the kitchen but was followed by Jerry. Jerry then hit Meagan on the right side of her head, and then tackled her and put his hands around her neck.
During the fight Meagan got away from Jerry and was able to put him in a head lock while asking him to stop fighting. Jerry then told Meagan to get her stuff and leave the house. Meagan then went into her room and started to collect her stuff to leave. Jerry followed and continued to argue and yell at Meagan. Jerry then left the room and started to fight with Tori. Jerry grabs Tori’s shirt and Meagan tells him to take his hands off of Tori. Jerry then hits Meagan’s head against the wall.
Meagan also told the officers that Jerry was crazy and would walk around the house naked. Tori’s version of the fight matched that of Meagan’s, but when asked about Jerry walking around naked, she noted that he did not walk around naked, but in his underwear.
NOTE: The following is an excerpt from the transcript of the Court Hearing for Meagan on May 4th, 2015. The audio is from the body cam video that was being worn by Officer Braegger during his interview of Meagan.2 It was collected as part of the evidence by the Utah Major Crimes Investigation Team of the Utah Public Safety department.
- 2 MS. GRUNWALD: (Inaudible) and I’m getting ready to do
- 3 my EMT, and then I have college classes like in high –- I’m
- 4 doing college classes right now. I’m doing my CNA, and I’m
- 5 getting ready to do my EMT, and then I have college classes
- 6 like in high school, like my science classes and everything
- 7 like that. My mom has a brain injury, so she can’t help me
- 8 study, and my dad can’t read or write.
- 9 So Angel’s the only one that’s like helping me through
- 10 like through everything like through school and everything,
- 11 like he’s always been there. Like I have other friends, too,
- 12 but it’s like I know he’s older than me, but like we don’t –-
- 13 like we’re just friends. Like we don’t do anything, and my dad
- 14 is like we’re the baddest people in the (inaudible). He’s done
- 15 most of (inaudible) help and everything.
- 16 Like I understand he’s (inaudible), but like come on,
- 17 you know, I’m 17. It’s just really (inaudible). It’s like I
- 18 just want to move out, but I can’t until I’m 18. My mom and
- 19 dad get in fights all the fucking time, and my dad always
- 20 causes them, and then he makes me sit here and (inaudible).
- 21 I’m just like, “Dad, just do it if you’re going to. I’ll just
- 22 make sure your ass goes to jail then.”
- 23 It’s just so stupid. I’m like (inaudible) everything
- 24 (inaudible) my mom. Like everything in the house that needs
- 25 done, like he helps me with. Like me and Angel are always 1 working on
- -1170-
- 1 the house. We cook dinner every night. We get
- 2 (inaudible) breakfast and lunch and like everything. Like
- 3 that’s just how we are. Angel pays rent and groceries, and like
- 4 he pays like half the water and electricity and everything.
- 5 It’s just like my dad hates him. I don’t get why. Like I
- 6 understand I’m his only daughter and stuff, but (inaudible)
- 7 life sooner or later.
- 8 OFFICER: Okay.
- 9 MS. GRUNWALD: Meagan, (inaudible) that you’re okay.
- 10 OFFICER: Just so you do or don’t (inaudible).
- 11 MS. GRUNWALD: (Inaudible) 125 of (inaudible).
- 12 (This portion of recording is too inaudible to be
- 13 transcribed accurately due to dispatch and others
- 14 speaking simultaneously.)
- 15 OFFICER: Listen. Ask him to come back. We need to
- 16 talk to him.
- 17 MS. GRUNWALD: Hey, Angel, the officer wants you to
- 18 come back here and talk to him about what happened. Do you
- 19 want to talk to the officer? Really? Angel, please talk to
- 20 me. Why? Just will you please talk to me?
- 21 OFFICER: Let me talk to him.
- 22 MS. GRUNWALD: The thing is, is the officer needs to
- 23 talk to you.
- 24 OFFICER: Angel, this is Officer Braegger, Draper City
- 25 Police. Can you come back so we can talk to you. Okay. Okay,
- -1171-
- 1 (inaudible). Okay, give me your exact address. We’ll come get
- 2 you to talk to you. What’s the number on it?
- 3 MR. JUAREGI: 31229.
- 4 OFFICER 31229 what?
- 5 MR. JUAREGI: (Inaudible) State Street.
- 6 OFFICER: State Street?
- 7 MR. JUAREGI: Yeah, it’s just the motel.
- 8 OFFICER: What are you driving so that we can find you?
- 9 MR. JUAREGI: White Cadillac.
- 10 OFFICER: What?
- 11 MR. JUAREGI: White Cadillac.
- 12 OFFICER: White Cadillac what?
- 13 MR. JUAREGI: Seville (inaudible).
- 14 OFFICER: (Inaudible) Seville?
- 15 MR. JUAREGI: My phone’s about to die.
- 16 OFFICER: Okay, give me the address one more time. Are
- 17 you there? Okay, (inaudible) call me.
- 18 DISPATCHER: Okay, would you like the (inaudible)?
- 19 OFFICER: If there’s something pending that’s major,
- 20 yes. If not, hold it.
- 21 DISPATCHER: 10/4.
- 22 OFFICER: Looks like he hung up. Did –- okay, let’s
- 23 just put that down for a minute. Did –- was there a gun
- 24 involved?
- 25 MS. GRUNWALD: No.
- -1172-
- 1 OFFICER: Why would your dad say there was?
- 2 MS. GRUNWALD: Because my dad is so psychotic. Like
- 3 I’m not even joking.
- 4 OFFICER: So if we go down there, we won’t find the
- 5 gun?
- 6 MS. GRUNWALD: No.
- 7 OFFICER: So you wouldn’t lie about that?
- 8 MS. GRUNWALD: No.
- 9 OFFICER: Because that’s pretty important that you
- 10 don’t lie.
- 11 MS. GRUNWALD: I’m not lying.
- 12 OFFICER: If there is one –-
- 13 MS. GRUNWALD: Angel wouldn’t carry –-
- 14 OFFICER: –- and somebody’s using it for self-defense,
- 15 that’s okay.
- 16 MS. GRUNWALD: Yeah.
- 17 OFFICER: But if somebody’s got one and threatening
- 18 people with it without being self-defense, that’s another
- 19 thing; but (inaudible) if he’s got one –-
- 20 MS. GRUNWALD: He doesn’t got one. He (inaudible) he
- 21 doesn’t got one. He’s trying to get his life straight. I’m
- 22 helping him trying to go back to school. Like he’s turning
- 23 his life around from –- like he’s on parole, but he’s trying
- 24 to turn his life around.
- 25 OFFICER: (Inaudible). What’s Angel’s last name?
- -1173-
- 1 MS. GRUNWALD: Garcia. Angel –-
- 2 OFFICER: Could you get an agency assist to (inaudible)
- 3 there at 3100 Brock in that area of State Street. Look for
- 4 a white Cadillac Seville and a suspect by the name of Angel
- 5 Garcia, possibly has a gun. We don’t know his situation yet
- 6 in this. So we just need him detained for a moment until we
- 7 can get with him.
- 8 DISPATCHER: 10/4.
- 9 OFFICER: I was just talking to him on the phone.
- 10 He’s claiming he ran out of gas at that area. So –- and he’s
- 11 expecting the police to come that direction.
- 12 DISPATCHER: 10/4.
- 13 (Radio traffic too inaudible to be transcribed)
- 14 OFFICER: Okay, so your dad claims Angel had some kind
- 15 of a gun.
- 16 MS. GRUNWALD: He didn’t have a gun. I didn’t see a
- 17 gun.
- 18 OFFICER: Did he have anything that would resemble
- 19 something like that?
- 20 MS. GRUNWALD: He didn’t pull –- I didn’t see him pull
- 21 anything.
- 22 OFFICER: You didn’t see him pull anything?
- 23 MS. GRUNWALD: Uh-uh.
- 24 OFFICER: Then why did Angel leave?
- 25 MS. GRUNWALD: Because we told him to leave because
- -1174-
- 1 my dad was trying to tackle and fight Angel, and I didn’t want
- 2 Angel to get hurt by my dad, and I didn’t want Angel to go back
- 3 to prison because he’s trying to get his life straightened out.
- 4 OFFICER: What was he in prison for?
- 5 MS. GRUNWALD: It was some self-defense thing, and he
- 6 got five years, and then I guess in the State of Utah like if
- 7 you –- I don’t know the whole story, but he killed someone
- 8 because like they –- like they came onto him, and then he was
- 9 trying to do self-defense and I guess he took it way too far,
- 10 and they charged him for manslaughter.
- 11 Then he got caught up with some other stuff like in
- 12 prison, like he got in trouble, but not like with drugs or
- 13 anything, but I guess he got in a bunch of fights and stuff
- 14 and they just kept him there longer.
- 15 OFFICER: Okay. Okay, let’s go in here by your mom.
- 16 We’ll talk there.
- 17 MS. GRUNWALD: Like just (inaudible), and my dad’s
- 18 going to see me and start (inaudible) –-
- 19 OFFICER: (Inaudible).
- 20 MS. GRUNWALD: —- charge. I can tell you his number.
- 21 OFFICER: It’s okay.
- 22 MS. GRUNWALD: (Inaudible) go to jail.
- -1175-
The South Salt Lake Police answered the agency assist call made by Officer Braegger, but they were unable to locate the Angel or the car in the location where he told the officer he was at.
As the officers were taking Jerry into custody they got one had secured then he jumped for his wheelchair and tried to get away. Officers then pulled him to the ground and he then submitted to arrest.
Jerry was booked for disorderly conduct, assault, and interference with arresting officer. Two of the three charges were dismissed, and Jerry plead guilty to the disorderly conduct charge which was amended to a class C misdemeanor. A no contact order was also issued for Domestic Violence.
Jerry’s mother Renate went to jail and bailed her son out that evening. After he told her about the incident she was concerned and talked to Meagan about her relationship with Angel. Previously she talked to Meagan about Angels age. She said, “Do you realize what you’re doing? He’s 27 and your 17?” Meagan replied, “I know, but I want to be with him, and besides, he makes so much money.” This time Renate wanted to talk about what happened between Angel and Jerry.
Renate told Meagan that Angel was nothing but trouble. Then she asked her why he always carried a screwdriver in his back pocket, and that she was scared of him. Meagan responded in a very passive manner, “He’ll be okay. It’s going to be okay, Grandma. I still love you.“ Renate continued, “Do you know that he’s married. He’s got two kids and a third one on the way? Why do you want to marry somebody like that?” Meagan replied, “I’m going to be with him.”
- Braegger, Crime Report R1702065 ↩︎
- Transcript of Proceedings, State of Utah v Megan Dakota Grunwald, 141400517 Vol V, pg 1174-1175 ↩︎
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Next: 17.0 – Angel Violates His Parole
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