EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — Nannette Wride-Zeeman says her late husband, Utah County Sheriff's Sergeant Cory Wride, is still very much a part of her life nearly 12 years after he was ambushed and killed in Eagle Mountain.
On Tuesday, Wride-Zeeman did something that might surprise many people: She testified in favor of parole for Meagan Grunwald, the young woman who was an accomplice in her husband's murder.
Wride's killer lost his life in a shootout with police the same day as the ambush. But Grunwald, who was with the shooter, has been serving time for her role in the crime.
Before the parole hearing, Wride-Zeeman met Grunwald face to face on Monday for the first time since the tragedy.
"She was in the other room, hyperventilating and sobbing. And she was so afraid to come and meet me. And I can't even tell you. The days and probably weeks of sleepless nights I had, being afraid to meet her, and what do I say, and how do I, how do I do this, and am I making a mistake, and like all these things that it felt in my heart, just this calm feeling like it was the right thing to do," Wride-Zeeman said.
"She was so afraid that I was going to be angry with her, and those angry days have long passed," she said.
When Grunwald entered the room, the emotion was overwhelming for both women.
"And she came walking in, she had her hands over her face, and she was still sobbing and she was shaking. And I just saw this little girl that was just terrified," Wride-Zeeman said.
"And she's sitting across from me, and she, her hands or her face are in her hands, and she's just sobbing, and she keeps repeating, I'm so afraid, I'm so afraid. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so afraid, just back and forth. And when she got done, I said, Megan, you don't have anything to be afraid of. I said, Look at me, and she looks up at me, and I see her blue eyes and all the tears," she said.
What happened next was a moment of healing that lasted three hours.
"So I walked over to her, and I went like this to her, and she stood up, and we embraced for the first time, and she just sobbed and sobbed. And I just held her and I said, do not be afraid of me. We're here to heal. And it opened up 3 hours of healing," Wride-Zeeman said.
The widow says she has completely forgiven Grunwald and wants to be part of her life when she's released.
"I said, you can't live with me, but I want to be a part of your life when you get out, and I want us to stay in touch. I am your biggest cheerleader, and I want to see you find your happy like I did, because I never thought I'd be happy, and here I am happier than I've ever been in my life, and I want her to find that. And we talked about what her dreams are, what her passions are, how she wants to give back to the community, to people, across the board, including veterans and first responders," Wride-Zeeman said.
Wride-Zeeman says 100 percent she has forgiven Grunwald and wants nothing but the brightest of futures for her.
