A Texas man who pleaded guilty to the savage murder of his young wife has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Jared James Dicus, 23, received a lengthy sentence from District Court Judge Gary Chaney after confessing to police last year that he decapitated his wife of less than four months, Anggy Diaz, 21.
As part of Dicus’s plea deal, he waived all rights to appeal the verdict or sentence.
He was sentenced during a pretrial hearing that focused on his competency, and after a court-ordered evaluation of his mental faculties was completed, he was deemed fit to stand trial, the Waller County District Attorney announced.
Dicus and Díaz got married in October 2022, but their marriage would end in complete horror.
This is Anggy Diaz and Jared Dicus on their wedding day in October. Dicus murdered Diaz sometime on January 11, 2023. After pleading guilty to the brutal crime, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Dicus will not be able to appeal his sentence or conviction in any way under his plea agreement with the Waller County District Attorney.
Diaz’s dismembered head was found inside the couple’s cabin, which was on the property of the Dicus parents.
On January 11, 2023, Dicus’ parents called 911 to report that they had found Diaz’s mutilated body in a small cabin the couple lived in behind their home near Magnolia, Texas, a town about 45 miles northwest of Houston.
Waller County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on scene and made a gruesome discovery.
Diaz was found in a pool of blood next to the bed, and investigators noted that she had suffered several stab wounds to the back with a kitchen knife, according to court documents obtained by FOX 26 Houston.
Those documents also revealed that Diaz’s head had been severed from his body and was found in the shower.
“Everything happened on the property and all the bits and pieces were recovered and turned into evidence,” Sheriff Troy Guidry said.
Prosecutors and police would gain rare insight into the mental state of Dicus, who was caught on surveillance video stealing a beer from the convenience store where his wife worked.
He apparently did this hours after killing and dismembering her.
Surveillance footage shows Dicus calmly walking into the store where he worked just hours after he killed his wife.
Dicus can be seen on camera grabbing a beer from the fridge and walking towards the exit.
Dicus then calmly walks past the counter and leaves the store.
Dicus can then be seen having a drink in the parking lot, all while being caught on camera.
The video was taken at the Chepes Meat Market and shows Dicus’ car arriving around 11:40 am.
He was seen wearing a T-shirt and jeans, grabbing a beer from the fridge, walking past the counter and out of the store, before taking a long drink in the parking lot.
According to Guidry, investigators were called to the murder scene that same day.
Dicus’ parents told responding officers that their son entered their home and made a statement that prompted them to search the cabin, which led them to discover Diaz’s body.
Shortly after the murder, Diaz’s friends he told KHOU-TV who was an immigrant from Nicaragua who had been working two jobs to help pay for her mother’s cancer treatment back home.
Even the judge who married the couple felt the need to make a Facebook post remembering Diaz.
Police were called to the couple’s property more than once for reports of domestic violence, Sheriff Guidry said during a news conference last January.
Two months before Dicus killed his wife, he was arrested on a DUI charge, and court records show he threatened a police officer and other jail staff.
Díaz was an immigrant from Nicaragua who had been working two jobs to help pay for her mother’s cancer treatment back home.
“Like many of you, I am deeply saddened and shocked by the news of this tragic event and my prayers are with all of their families,” said Waller County Judge Trey Duhon.
“Out of respect for the families, I have removed my photo with the couple and the post announcing their marriage, primarily due to the insensitive nature of some of the comments that were made on that post,” she continued.
Just two weeks before her murder, Diaz had posted a photo of herself and her husband on Christmas Day on her Instagram, wishing her friends and family a “merry, happy Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas my beautiful wife,” Dicus responded to the post, calling his wife a “trophy.”
Her last Instagram post, in which she shared a photo of her lunch, was sent just hours before investigators believed she was murdered.
In a post on her 20th birthday in October 2021, Diaz wrote: “I can only thank God for blessing me so much.”
In a post on her 20th birthday in October 2021, Diaz wrote ‘I can only thank God for blessing me so much.’
This is the comment Jared Dicus left on his wife’s photo of them just two weeks before he ended up killing her.
Díaz was just 21 years old at the time of his death.
Despite how the couple interacted on social media, behind closed doors it was clear that their relationship was fraught with turmoil and violence.
Police were called to his property more than once for reports of domestic violence, Sheriff Guidry said during a news conference last January.
And two months before Dicus killed his wife, he was arrested for driving under the influence (DWI), and court records show he threatened a police officer and other jail staff members.
After he reportedly banged on the windows in utter frustration, police forced him into a restraint chair.
District Attorney Sean Whittmore said that because of the brutality of his crime, Dicus will not be eligible for parole until 2043 at the earliest.
If he serves his full sentence, he will be 63 when he gets out.
“Waller County does not tolerate domestic violence. Heinous crimes like this will not go unanswered. We will seek justice for victims of domestic violence and send a message to perpetrators that we are here to fight for our victims,” Whittmore said in a statement.
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