A Texas man has been sentenced to four decades in prison after brutally murdering his wife, just months after the couple married.
District Court Judge Gary Chaney sentenced Jared James Dicus, 23, to 40 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to brutally murdering his wife, Anggy Diaz, 21, last year, the Waller County District Attorney’s Office reported. The trial concluded on July 31st.
The couple had married in October 2022, mere months before the heinous crime.
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‘A gruesome scene’: Anggy Diaz decapitated, dismembered
According to the Waller County Sheriff’s Office, on the day of the Jan. 11, 2023 killing, Discus’ parents called 911 to report a death on their property in a small cabin behind their home near Magnolia, a city about 45 miles northwest of downtown Houston.
Waller County police responded to the property and discovered a horrific scene. A few days after the discovery, Sheriff Troy Guidry described finding Diaz dead, decapitated and dismembered. She appeared to have been stabbed multiple times with a kitchen knife.
“A portion of the body was dismembered, and the residence was covered in blood. Gruesome scene at best,” Guidry said in a press conference following the murder.
Dicus was detained at the scene, according to a release. When detectives arrived, Discus admitted he killed his wife.
Officers arrested Dicus on a murder charge and booked him into the local jail.
Dicus’ motive for murdering wife remains undisclosed
A motive in the killing was not released by police, but prosecutors said during the pre-trial phase of the case, “potential mental health issues were raised regarding the Defendant’s competency to stand trial.”
But after a court-ordered examination for competency Discus was deemed competent.
History of domestic violence
Two months before Dicus murdered his wife, he was arrested on a DWI charge. Court records show Dicus threatened a police officer and staff at the local jail. After punching windows, he was placed in a restraint chair.
Local deputies had also responded to the same property more than once for reports of domestic violence, Sheriff Guidry said during a press conference last January.
Dicus’ bond was initially set for $500,000, but District Attorney Sean G. Whittmore argued for a $1M bond shortly after the murder. The DA cited Dicus’ violent history and the seriousness of his latest crime, and a Waller County judge agreed and raised the bond to $1M.
Dicus not eligible for parole until 2043
Due to the aggravated nature of the offense, prosecutors said Dicus is not eligible for parole until 2043 at the earliest.
“Waller County does not tolerate domestic violence,” Waller County Criminal District Attorney Sean Whittmore said in a statement. “Heinous crimes like this one will not go unanswered, we will seek justice for the victims of domestic violence and send a message to the perpetrators that here, we fight for our victims.”
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas man sentenced to 40 years in prison for killing newlywed wife