Latest news with #JasonThornburg
Daily Record
27-06-2025
- Daily Record
Cannibal killer mutilates bodies, eats heart, cuts off penis then sets victims on fire
Jason Thornburg, 44, was sentenced to death after a jury convicted him of the gruesome murders of three people in Tarrant County, Texas, and he also confessed to two other killings A 44 year old man has been handed a death sentence in Tarrant County, Texas after being found guilty by a jury of the horrific murders of three individuals. In addition to executing the savage killings, he also dismembered his victims and set their bodies alight. Over a seven-day period in September 2021, Jason Thornburg took the lives of David Lueras, 42, Maricruz Mathis, 33, and Lauren Phillips, 34, later claiming the trio needed to be sacrificed for religious purposes. During the lengthy trial, chilling details emerged about what transpired at the Mid City Inn in Euless. The three victims were separately lured into the room Thornburg was renting and subsequently murdered. The killer slit the throats of two of the victims and strangled Phillips before sexually violating her lifeless body. He also consumed part of David's heart and severed his penis, reports the Mirror US. Once the victims were dead, Thornburg dismembered their bodies in the motel bathtub and stashed their remains in rubbish bags under the bed. In the early hours of September 22, the murderer transported their body parts, which he had stored in plastic storage tubs, to a dumpster on Bonnie Drive in Fort Worth. He deposited the remains inside the dumpster, ignited them and then fled the scene. Firefighters were summoned to the blaze and extinguished the fire, where they discovered the victims' burnt bodies. Law enforcement caught Jason Allen Thornburg after footage showed his Jeep Grand Cherokee near the dumpster he set ablaze with bodies inside. He even meticulously returned the tubs used to transport the bodies to the shop they were purchased from, demonstrating a chilling level of detachment. At the trial, evidence of events at the motel convinced the jury of Thornburg's ongoing threat to society, leading them to sentence him to death after just five hours of deliberation. As the verdict was declared, Thornburg remained silent. Following the conviction, the trial judge declared: "Therefore, Jason Allen Thornburg, you have been adjudged by a jury to be guilty of capital murder. And the juror has answered the special issues making it mandatory that your punishment be death. Therefore, this court sentences you, Jason Allen Thornburgh, to death." The ruling and death sentence are automatically referred to the Court of Criminal Appeals for review. If confirmed, Thornburg will await execution in state custody, a process that can span several years on death row. Astoundingly, upon his arrest for the motel slayings, Thornburg reportedly admitted to authorities his involvement in two additional murders. Thornburg is alleged to have confessed to law enforcement that he murdered his 61 year old flatmate, Mark Jewell, who died in a suspicious house explosion in May 2021, and his ex-girlfriend Tanya Begay in Arizona back in 2017. Firefighters discovered Jewell's body following a gas explosion at the Fort Worth residence. Begay vanished in March 2017 after last being seen with Thornburg. According to Fox 4 reports, the FBI still considers the case open as her body has never been found.
Daily Mirror
27-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Man ate victim's heart and chopped off penis after killing him
WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Jason Thornburg, 44, has been sentenced to death in Texas after he was found guilty of the brutal murders of three people and carrying out gruesome acts on their bodies A 44 year old man has been handed a death sentence in Tarrant County, Texas after being found guilty of the horrific murders of three individuals by a jury. Not only did he commit the savage killings, but he also mutilated his victims and set their corpses alight. Over a seven-day period in September 2021, Jason Thornburg took the lives of David Lueras, 42, Maricruz Mathis, 33, and Lauren Phillips, 34, later claiming the trio needed to be sacrificed for religious purposes. During the lengthy trial, chilling details emerged about the events at the Mid City Inn in Euless. The three victims were separately lured into the room Thornburg was renting and subsequently murdered. The killer slit the throats of two victims and strangled Phillips before violating her lifeless body. He even consumed part of David's heart and severed his penis, reports the Mirror US. After the victims were dead, Thornburg dismembered their bodies in the motel bathtub and stashed their remains in rubbish bags under the bed. In the early hours of September 22, the murderer transported the body parts, which he had kept in plastic storage tubs, to a skip on Bonnie Drive in Fort Worth. He dumped the remains in the skip, ignited them and drove off. Firefighters were summoned to the inferno and put out the fire, where they stumbled upon the victims' burnt bodies. The authorities homed in on Thornburg after CCTV footage showed his Jeep Grand Cherokee near the scene when the bodies were dumped and set aflame. In a chilling act, he meticulously cleaned and returned the containers to the shop where they were purchased. The evidence presented at trial, including chilling details of the events at the motel, led the jury to conclude that Thornburg posed a continuing threat to society, resulting in a death sentence. The jurors took a mere five hours to agree unanimously, with Thornburg remaining quiet as the judgement was delivered. Following the verdict, the presiding judge stated: "Therefore, Jason Allen Thornburg, you have been adjudged by a jury to be guilty of capital murder. And the juror has answered the special issues making it mandatory that your punishment be death. Therefore, this court sentences you, Jason Allen Thornburgh, to death." An automatic appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeals will scrutinise the conviction and death sentence; if confirmed, Thornburg awaits execution under state custody. Death row inmates often wait years before their execution is actualised. In a startling twist, upon his arrest for the motel slayings, Thornburg allegedly admitted to police involvement in two additional homicides. Thornburg is alleged to have confessed to law enforcement that he murdered his flatmate, 61 year old Mark Jewell, who perished in a suspicious home explosion in May 2021, and his ex-girlfriend Tanya Begay in Arizona back in 2017. Firefighters discovered Jewell's body following a gas explosion at their Fort Worth residence. Begay vanished in March 2017 after last being spotted with Thornburg. As reported by Fox 4, the FBI still considers the case unresolved as her body has yet to be found.
Irish Daily Mirror
24-06-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Cannibal killer who ate heart of victim and chopped off his penis
A 44 year old man has been handed a death sentence in Tarrant County, Texas after being found guilty by a jury of the horrific murders of three individuals. In addition to executing the savage killings, he also dismembered his victims and set their bodies alight. Over a seven-day period in September 2021, Jason Thornburg murdered David Lueras, 42, Maricruz Mathis, 33, and Lauren Phillips, 34, later claiming that the trio needed to be sacrificed for religious purposes. During the lengthy trial, details emerged about what transpired at the Mid City Inn in Euless. The three victims were separately brought into the room Thornburg was renting and subsequently killed. The killer slit the throats of two of the victims and strangled Phillips before sexually assaulting her dead body. He also consumed part of David's heart and severed his penis, reports the Mirror US. Once the victims were deceased, Thornburg dismembered their bodies in the motel bathtub and stored their remains in rubbish bags under the bed. In the early hours of September 22, the murderer then transported their body parts, which he had stored in plastic storage tubs, to a dumpster on Bonnie Drive in Fort Worth. He placed the remains inside the dumpster, ignited them and drove off. Firefighters were summoned to the blaze and put out the fire where they discovered the victims' burnt bodies. Law enforcement nabbed Thornburg for placing the bodies in the dumpster and igniting it, thanks to CCTV footage showing his Jeep Grand Cherokee nearby at the crucial time. He chillingly returned the containers used to the shop they were purchased from after meticulously cleaning them out. The jury, swayed by the damning evidence presented during the trial, including the gruesome details of the motel incident, concluded that Thornburg posed an ongoing threat to society and handed him the death penalty. The decision was reached swiftly by the jury in just five hours, with Thornburg remaining silent as the verdict was delivered. Following the verdict, the presiding judge declared: "Therefore, Jason Allen Thornburg, you have been adjudged by a jury to be guilty of capital murder. And the juror has answered the special issues making it mandatory that your punishment be death. Therefore, this court sentences you, Jason Allen Thornburgh, to death." Thornburg's conviction and death sentence are automatically reviewed by the Court of Criminal Appeals. If confirmed, he will stay under state custody until his execution is enacted. Death row inmates often wait years before their execution date is set. In a startling twist, upon his arrest for the motel slayings, Thornburg shockingly admitted to police his involvement in two additional murders. Thornburg is alleged to have confessed to law enforcement that he murdered his 61 year old flatmate, Mark Jewell, who died in a suspicious house explosion in May 2021, and his ex-girlfriend Tanya Begay in Arizona back in 2017. Firefighters discovered Jewell's body following a gas explosion at the Fort Worth residence. Begay vanished in March 2017 after last being seen with Thornburg. According to Fox 4 reports, the FBI still considers the case open as her body has never been found.
