Newlywed Husband Sentenced to 40 Years for Brutal Decapitation Murder of Wife

Grisly Crime and Sentencing

A Texas man, Jared James Dicus, was sen­tenced to 40 years in prison for the bru­tal mur­der of his 21-year-old wife, Anggy Diaz. Dicus plead­ed guilty to the crime and waived his right to appeal as part of the plea agreement.

Disturbing Details of the Murder

On Jan­u­ary 11, 2023, Dicus’ par­ents called 911 to report that they had found Diaz’s muti­lat­ed body in a small cot­tage the cou­ple lived in behind their home near Mag­no­lia, Texas. Inves­ti­ga­tors dis­cov­ered that Diaz had been decap­i­tat­ed and had sus­tained mul­ti­ple stab wounds to her back with a kitchen knife.

Chilling Post-Murder Behavior

Sur­veil­lance footage showed Dicus calm­ly enter­ing the con­ve­nience store where his wife worked, just hours after the mur­der, and steal­ing a beer from the fridge before walk­ing out. This dis­turb­ing behav­ior pro­vid­ed a glimpse into Dicus’ state of mind fol­low­ing the crime.

Domestic Violence History

The rela­tion­ship between Dicus and Diaz was marked by a his­to­ry of domes­tic vio­lence, with police respond­ing to their prop­er­ty mul­ti­ple times for reports of domes­tic dis­tur­bances. Dicus had also been arrest­ed on a DWI charge two months before the mur­der, where he threat­ened a cop and oth­er staff at the jail.

Victim’s Background and Impact

Diaz was an immi­grant from Nicaragua who had been work­ing two jobs to help pay for her moth­er’s can­cer treat­ment back home. The judge who had mar­ried the cou­ple expressed his sad­ness and shock over the trag­ic event.

Sentencing and Parole Eligibility

Due to the bru­tal­i­ty of the crime, Dicus will not be eli­gi­ble for parole until 2043 at the ear­li­est. If he serves out his entire 40-year sen­tence, he will be 63 years old when he is released.

Waller County Stands Against Domestic Violence

The Dis­trict Attor­ney of Waller Coun­ty empha­sized that the coun­ty does not tol­er­ate domes­tic vio­lence and that “heinous crimes like this one will not go unanswered.”