Trigger warning: The article contains graphic details of violence, murder, and sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.
44 years old Jason Thornburg was found guilty of three gruesome killings and was sentenced to death in Tarrant County, Texas as per the verdict of the jury. Besides killing his victims, brutally, Jason also dismembered their bodies and set them on fire after dumping the parts.
The murders took place back in September 2021, as over a period of seven days, Jason killed David Lueras, 42, Maricruz Mathis, 33, and Lauren Phillips, 34. During Jason’s trial, disturbing details about the murders emerged and it came to light that Jason brought all three of his victims separately in the motel room that he was renting and then killed them.
Jason slit the throat of David and Maricruz and he strangled Lauren to death. After that he sexually assaulted her dead body. He also ate David’s heart in parts and cut off his penis.
As reported by The Mirror US, “Once the victims were dead, Thornburg cut their bodies to pieces in the motel bathtub and stored their remains in trash bags under the bed. In the early morning of September 22, the killer then took their body parts which he had stored in plastic storage tubs to a dumpster on Bonnie Drive in Fort Worth.”
After that he had placed the bodies in the dumpster and set it on fire. The blaze drew attention and local firefighters were called to deal with the situation. After the fire was put off, the body parts of the victims were found.
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As the authorities started the investigation, Jason was tracked down based on a video showing his Jeep Grand Cherokee at the place during the time of the fire. Later, it came to light that he cleaned himself after dumping the bodies and also returned the tubs from where he got them.
Given the violent nature of the crime and the evidence that followed, the jury decided that Jason was too much of a risk to society and thus only in five hours the unanimous decision was sentencing Jason to death.
After the announcement of the verdict, the judge said, “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.”
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The Court of Criminal Appeals will now review the judgment of conviction and sentence of death and based on that Jason’s death sentence will be carried out. Death row inmates often have to stay behind the bars before their sentences are executed and it remains to be seen what turns out to be the waiting period for Jason.
