PROVO, Utah — An inmate has been granted parole for his role in the 2014 shooting death of a Utah County Sheriff's Office deputy, whose own family supported the decision.
Dakota Grunwald was granted parole by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole last week and is scheduled to be released from prison on April 28.
Grunwald — who at the time was named Meagan but has since transitioned — pleaded guilty in 2021 to reduced charges of second-degree manslaughter and assault on a police officer in the death of Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Cory Wride. The plea came after the Utah Supreme Court ordered her previous conviction overturned over issues with jury instructions.
Grunwald was 17 when Wride was shot and killed by Grunwald's then-boyfriend, Jose Angel Garcia Jauregui, on January 30, 2014. Wride had stopped to assist the pickup truck that Grunwald was driving and was pulled over to the side of a Lehi road.
As Wride approached the vehicle, Juaregui shot the 20-year veteran of the sheriff's office, then pointed a gun at Grunwald's head, ordering Grunwald to drive the truck, leading police on a multi-vehicle pursuit in which another officer was shot and injured.
Juaregui was killed during the chase, and Grunwald was initially charged with murder due to Utah's lack of accomplice laws. Grunwald was convicted at trial and faced life in prison, but the Utah Supreme Court overturned the verdict in 2020, declaring that the instructions to the jury about accomplice liability law might have led to a different outcome.
Grunwald's plea deal to lesser charges helped him avoid a new trial.
According to the parole documents, Wride's family supported Grunwald's release from prison, which will come next month as long as he has no major discipline violations.
Nannette Wride-Zeeman, the sergeant's widow, spoke with FOX 13 News in December about how her desire was to someday become Grunwald’s friend. Three years ago, she sent the accomplice a letter.
“I felt just this overwhelming prompting to write to her so that I could heal and she could heal and we could move forward,” said Wride-Zeeman.
Shortly before our interview, the two met face-to-face for the first time since the murder. As they shared that healing moment, Wride-Zeeman also learned so much about the shooter and what happened that day.
“We did not know that [Jauregui] was actually high on methamphetamines — none of our family knew that,” Wride-Zeeman said.
“He was very controlling and abusive of [Grunwald] and the reason they were pulled over to the side was because they were fighting,” she continued. "I believe with all of my heart that he 100% would’ve killed her.”
Grunwald now identifies as a man and goes by the name Dakota.
He initially wasn’t even supposed to get a parole hearing until 2042. But on the heels of their meeting, Wride-Zeeman testified on Grunwald’s behalf in a parole hearing in December.
“I feel nothing but love towards her, which is kind of crazy, and I have a couple of kids that aren’t very happy about that,” said Wride-Zeeman.
While she has no control over what Grunwald ultimately does in life after prison, Wride-Zeeman says their connection has freed her from all those feelings that emotionally chained her down for years.
“I can’t explain it any better than that I am floating,” Wride-Zeeman said. “I’m at peace, utter peace. I haven’t felt that since before this happened.”
