The case of Janie Lynn Ridd and her treatment of her longtime best friend Rachel was explored in an episode of Netflix's Worst Roommate Ever.
What Did Worst Roommate Ever's Janie Lynn Ridd Do?
Janie Lynn Ridd had been living with her roommate Rachel for 15 years and had 25 years of friendship before a sinister turn came about. After meeting in 1995, Rachel had worked as a paramedic for about six years until she herniated a disc in her back and lost the ability to work.
Worst Roommate Ever depicted how Ridd served as a caretaker to Rachel with power over her finances and personal documents and was left with "100% control" over her after she became pregnant. She would even become a pseudo-parental figure to her roommate's son, Ryder, after he was born.
However, as Rachel sought treatment for her condition, she only went on to become sicker due to the intervention from Ridd.
According to Today, Ridd attempted to purchase VRSA (Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in October 2019 from a dark web vendor. She claimed to the seller she was a biology teacher in need of VRSA for a school experiment.
Ridd worked at a job assistance center in West Valley City, Utah, but still managed to acquire the VRSA in December 2019 for $300, paid for with Bitcoin.
A police indictment shared by Today noted how Ridd had developed a "hostile relationship" with Rachel that saw her seek temporary custody of Ryder. The friendship between the two supposedly deteriorated over time due to "mutually claimed power issues and control-type domestic violence dynamics."
Where Is Worst Roommate Ever's Janie Lynn Ridd Today?
Worst Roommate Ever revealed Janie Lynn Ridd's dark web vendor was actually an undercover FBI agent. Agents delivered a fake package to Ridd's mailbox in a plastic coffee container before interviewing her about the package until she admitted to purchasing the VRSA for "conducting simple experiments."
The interview saw Ridd reveal Rachel's will would have seen her receive custody of her son Ryder in the event of her death. However, conflict emerged in October 2019 when Rachel began planning to change the will to name her niece instead.
Additionally, both Rachel and Ridd were said to have life insurance policies, with each named as the sole beneficiary to the other.
An investigation determined Ridd had been dosing Rachel with an assortment of medications in overdosed quantities which led to her deteriorating health and could have (but fortunately didn't) resulted in death.
Ridd was arrested and charged with three felonies: aggravated intentional abuse of a disabled or elder adult, attempted intentional abuse of a disabled or elder adult, and attempted possession of a weapon of mass destruction.
As reported by Utah's Deseret News, Ridd pleaded guilty to attempted intentional abuse of a disabled or elder adult and attempted possession of a weapon of mass destruction in August 20202, with the third charge dropped as part of a plea deal.
The Worst Roommate Ever criminal was sentenced to up to five years in prison on one charge and one to 15 years on another. Now aged 55, Ridd was granted parole and released in January 2022 after serving 25 months in prison.
During the docuseries, an undated phone call from Salt Lake County Jail was played in which Ridd was heard saying she is "going to end up out of here." She also shared a desire to "get him away from her," which may indicate a plan to separate Rachel from her son Ryder.
"I know what's going to happen. I'm going to end up out of here. I'm going to find a way to get him away from her. He needs to come back to me now."
Further details surrounding where Ridd is today are currently unknown, with the criminal seemingly staying under the radar following her release.
Worst Roommate Ever is streaming now on Netflix.
