By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
A woman taken into custody on I-15 near Nephi January 30, 2014 after a shootout with local law enforcement officers was in court last Monday morning for a pre-trial hearing.
Meagan Dakota Grunwald, who is charged as an adult with the murder of Utah County Sheriff's Deputy Sergeant Cory Wride and the attempted murder of Deputy Greg Sherwood, was in 4th District Court.
Attorneys on both sides said Monday that a plea deal is still possible for Grunwald. However, pending a plea deal, a February 10 trial date stands for the Draper teen charged in connection with the alleged January crimes which led through two counties.
Grunwald's attorney, Dean Zabriskie, filed a "notice of affirmative defense of compulsion," an official notice to the prosecution.
Zabriskie requested a few more weeks to decide whether to resolve the case with a plea deal or go ahead with a two-week trial. Both sides asked for a continuance.
Utah County Prosecutor Sam Pead said they are still negotiating for a possible plea bargain.
Zabriskie claims in the notice: "a person is not guilty of an offense when [s]he is engaged in the proscribed conduct because [s]he was coerced to do so by the use or threatened imminent use of unlawful physical force upon [her] or a third person, which force or threatened force a person of reasonable firmness in [her] situation would not have resisted."
Grunwald, who was 17 at the time of the alleged crimes, faces up to life in prison if convicted as charged. She is charged with 10 felonies and two misdemeanors.
The now 18-year old and her boyfriend, Jose Garcia-Juaregui, led police on an approximately two-hour long chase in January that began in Utah county with the shooting of Wride and Sherwood and ended in Juab county in a shootout with law enforcement officers.
"The defendant's criminal charges arise out of a criminal episode on January 30, 2014 which resulted in the death of Utah County Sergeant Cory Wride, the gunshot to the head of Utah County Deputy Greg Sherwood, gunshots fired at Trooper Jeff Blankenagel, crashing into a citizen driving on I-15, shots fired at a semi-truck driver's vehicle, the carjacking of Chetney Williams, more gunshots at other motorists and other related charges," said AnnMarie Howard, Chief Deputy Juab County Attorney.
Howard is representing Juab County on the prosecution team.
Prosecutors say the shooter was Grunwald's boyfriend, 27-year-old Jose Angel Garcia-Juaregui who was himself shot and killed by law enforcement officers in the shootout along 1-15 in Juab County.
Grunwald was arrested at that time, was charged and has been in jail since. She is being held at the Salt Lake County jail on a $1 million cash-only bail.
"Whatever she did and whatever they think her participation was, it was the end result of her being threatened by (Garcia-Juaregui), and more particularly by having a gun pointed at her almost during the entire episode," said Zabriskie. "She had little choice."
Pead said evidence to support Zabriskie's claim hasn't been presented. He said the defense team's notice was expected and the prosecution team plans to argue at a trial, if one takes place, that Grunwald was a willing participant.
"Actions speak louder than words and we haven't seen any evidence in this case, in any of our investigation, that would show she was compelled. And we see a motive of love and loyalty and we believe that what evidence we presented at the preliminary hearing and that we would present at trial supports that," Pead said.
He told the judge the November 24 pre-trial is a "drop dead" date for a plea bargain.
"I think a resolution makes sense," Pead said after the court appearance. "But I think that it's up to her (Grunwald) to decide on."
