Jacqueline Vandagriff: Man Charged With Killing Texas College Student Stalked Former Girlfriend, Police Say

The man accused of killing, burning, and dismembering Texas college student Jacqueline Vandagriff last week had a history of stalking a former girlfriend. Police records indicate that his ex-girlfriend took out an order of protection against him in August.

The Dallas Morning News reports Charles Dean Bryant, 30, was arrested last Sunday and charged with capital murder after the body of 24-year-old Texas Woman’s University student, Jacqueline Vandagriff, was discovered by Denton police and firefighters. They found Vandagriff’s dismembered body set on fire on September 14, on a trail off a wooded area at the Acorn Woods Park in Grapevine.

BREAKING: PD say 30yr old Charles Dean Bryant of Haslet killed Vandagriff. He is charged with Capital Murder @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/nWy9HmxEgP

— Jeffrey Smith (@JeffreySmithTLV) September 19, 2016

According to police, Bryant’s former 18-year-old girlfriend broke up with him in August, and she took out a restraining order on him for stalking her shortly after. They’d only been dating for three months before she ended the relationship.

A day after he learned of the breakup, Bryant allegedly went to his ex-girlfriend’s dorm room in Kerr Hall at the University of North Texas (UNT). According to details on the restraining order, Bryant attempted to make up with his ex by kissing her, but she was frightened by his advances. She contacted her dorm room residential adviser, who told her to contact the UNT police. The police advised her to take out a protective order against Bryant.

On August 25, Bryant was served with a criminal trespassing warning, but on August 31, he visited the restaurant his ex-girlfriend worked at. He ordered a drink from the bar, then requested a seat in the section his former girlfriend was stationed at.

The ex-girlfriend (name withheld for privacy reasons) again told Bryant that the relationship was over, and she didn’t want to see or talk to him. She phoned the police, and a UNT police officer told Bryant to either stop contacting her or face criminal charges. Yet, on September 6, Bryant once again showed up at her dorm room.

While banging on her door, he claimed he “had something” for her. Scared, the ex-girlfriend looked through the door’s peephole to make sure it was Bryant. She stayed locked in her room while she called the police.

When police arrived, they found Bryant standing outside of the Kerr Hall dorm building. He was arrested on criminal trespassing charges, but he posted bond and got out of jail the following day.

Within a day of his release, police arrested Bryant again and charged him with stalking. He posted bond and got out of jail again on September 9, four days before he was seen on video surveillance with Vandagriff at the Fry Street Tavern off of Ave. A in Denton.

People reports that on September 13, video surveillance from the tavern shows Bryant and Vandagriff sitting together, where they had a few drinks before they eventually left. Security camera footage from another bar, Shots and Crafts, showed the pair together at around 10 p.m.

The owner of Shots and Crafts, Mitchell Wilson, stated that after watching the security footage, nothing seemed amiss about the pair.

“Nothing stuck out.”

Vandagriff’s cell phone showed pings from Denton’s south towers later that night at around midnight. The last ping occurred at 1:30 a.m. on September 14, close to Bryant’s home in Haslet, off of Sand Hills Drive. At around 6:30 a.m. later that day, Vandagriff’s body was located after firefighters responded to a fire in the Acorn Woods Park.

Authorities found Vandagriff’s dismembered remains in a blue kiddie pool with flammable chemicals dousing her body. Police used cellphone tower data to track Bryant down, and eventually accused him of the alleged murder after an extensive investigation. He remains in jail with no bail.

Police stated that Bryant’s ex-girlfriend turned over emails that he sent to her prior to the murder. In the emails, Bryant attempted to reconcile with her, and he asked her to drop the stalking charges against him.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe for Jacqueline Vandagriff was established by her family to help pay for funeral expenses.

[Featured Image by Denton Police Department]