Man Sentenced to Death for Gruesome Murders and Dismemberment in Texas

A 44-year-old man, Jason Thornburg, has received a death sentence in Tarrant County, Texas, after being found guilty of brutally murdering three people. The court proceedings detailed Thornburg's shocking actions in September 2021, where he lured his victims—David Lueras, Maricruz Mathis, and Lauren Phillips—to the Mid City Inn in Euless, where he carried out the heinous killings, claiming they needed to be sacrificed for his religious beliefs.

During the trial, the jury was presented with disturbing evidence showcasing how Thornburg committed the murders. He slit the throats of two of the victims and strangled Phillips before committing further acts of sexual violence against her deceased body. After killing them, he dismembered the victims' bodies in the bathtub of his motel room and concealed them in trash bags.

On September 22, he disposed of their remains in a dumpster in Fort Worth after igniting them, and the ongoing investigation led to his apprehension due to CCTV footage capturing his vehicle near the crime scene. After the jury deliberated for five hours, they unanimously decided on the death penalty for Thornburg, condemning him for his potential ongoing threat to society.

As the judge delivered the guilty verdict, Thornburg remained silent, while the ruling will undergo an automatic review by the Court of Criminal Appeals. Additionally, in a chilling twist, Thornburg admitted to police his involvement in two more killings, including that of his former roommate, Mark Jewell, whose death was linked to a gas explosion, and his ex-girlfriend, Tanya Begay, who disappeared in 2017 and has not been found. The FBI continues to investigate Begay’s case, as no remains have been located.