Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Man charged in 3 Texas deaths indicted in roommate's slaying

A man accused of killing three people whose dismembered bodies were found in a burning dumpster in Texas in September has been charged in the killing of his roommate, who was found dead in a house fire in Fort Worth months earlier

Via AP news wire
Friday 18 February 2022 20:43 EST
Texas Dumpster Fire Bodies
Texas Dumpster Fire Bodies

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A man accused of killing three people whose dismembered bodies were found in a burning dumpster in Texas in September was indicted Friday in the killing of his roommate, who was found dead in another fire months earlier.

The Tarrant County district attorney's office says a grand jury indicted Jason Alan Thornburg, 41, on charges of murder and arson in the death of Mark Jewell, 61.

Thornburg was indicted in December on a charge of capital murder of multiple people in the deaths of David Lueras, 42, Lauren Phillips, 34, and Maricruz Mathis, 33. Their bodies were found in a burning dumpster in Fort Worth.

During an interview with police, he confessed to killing those three as well as his roommate and girlfriend, according to his arrest warrant. He told officers he had in-depth knowledge of the Bible and believed he was being called to “commit sacrifices,” according to the arrest warrant.

Thornburg's roommate died in a suspicious house fire in Fort Worth in May, the arrest warrant said. At the time, the medical examiner had not been able to determine Jewell's cause of death.

During the police interview in September, Thornburg said he slit Jewell's throat, then uncapped a natural gas line and lit a candle, according to the arrest warrant.

When police asked Thornburg about any other sacrifices, he brought up his girlfriend, according to the arrest warrant.

Tanya Begay, a Navajo woman from Gallup, New Mexico, has been missing since taking a trip to Arizona with Thornburg in 2017.

The FBI on Friday had no update on her case.

Thornburg remained jailed in Fort Worth on $1 million bond. His attorneys did not immediately respond to phone messages seeking comment.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in