A Texas judge sentenced a 23-year-old man to 40 years in jail for murdering and decapitating his newlywed wife, according to prosecutors.
In January 2023, Jared James Dicus pleaded guilty to murdering his wife, Anggy Diaz, age 21. According to the Waller County Sheriff’s Office, Discus’ parents called 911 around 4:35 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2023, to report a probable death on their property in a small cabin behind their home in the 200 block of Oak Hollow Blvd. near Magnolia, roughly 60 miles northwest of downtown Houston.
Deputies discovered Diaz dead and decapitated. Deputies reported that there was blood in the hut where Dicus and Diaz had lived.
Cops apprehended Dicus, who confessed to detectives that he had slain his new wife. Authorities never revealed a motive for the murder, although deputies claimed they had previously attended the home for domestic violence-related complaints.
Waller County Criminal District Attorney Sean G. Whittmore stated that potential mental health issues were addressed during the case’s pretrial phase. However, a psychiatrist determined Dicus was competent to stand trial. According to Whitmore, as part of the plea agreement, Dicus will be barred from appealing the verdict or raising an insanity defense.
Whitmore said Diaz’s family agreed with the plea. Dicus won’t be eligible for release until 2043.
“Waller County will not condone domestic violence. Heinous crimes like this one will not go unpunished; we will seek justice for victims of domestic violence and send a message to perpetrators that we are here to fight for our victims,” Whitmore said in a statement on Wednesday.
Dicus shared a wedding photo of himself and Diaz on Facebook in October 2022, just over two months before killing her. Diaz’s friends and coworkers recalled her bright personality.
“Very bright girl, full of energy, never negative,” Diaz’s employer, Veronica Jimenez, told Houston’s NBC affiliate, KPRC. “She had so many goals in life.”
Diaz’s uncle, Irvin Orellana, who used to be her legal guardian, said on a GoFundMe website that his niece was “the light of our family.”
“Always with a smile and a positive attitude. He wrote, “Her absence from our lives will be felt forever.”
The monies raised helped carry her body back to Nicaragua.