Balch Springs Suspect “Tortured” Girlfriend: Police Affidavit

Police arrested a man accused of killing a woman Monday night in the Balch Springs home they shared.

Police said during a news conference Wednesday that 65-year-old Linda Jordan had suffered major trauma when officers found her body at around 10 p.m. Monday.

Police arrested 38-year-old Josh Thurber for allegedly killing Jordan in the home they shared in the 14300 block of Cimarron Drive.

According to police documents released to the media, a witness told police that he had acquired methamphetamine for himself and Thurber on Dec. 13 and then used the drugs that weekend. The witness also said Thurber was "acting crazy" on Dec. 15 and that he was "talking about cutting his girlfriend up."

While being interviewed by police, the witness said he went back to visit Thurber later on Dec. 15 when Thurber advised the witness that he had done something to Jordan and said "I tortured her."

That witness told police he was forced to go into the home's bathroom to view the victim while Thurber was holding a machete.

Lt. Mark Maret said police were informed about the body by an acquaintance of Thurber who saw the victim and told his mother. That woman notified authorities, who responded to the address and found Thurber at the home. Police said Thurber did confirm that there was a body inside the home, but he has not answered questions for police without a lawyer present.

Police reports state officers found the victim laying in a bath tub and wrapped in a blue tarp or shower curtain in the home's bathroom. The report also states the Dallas County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on the victim and found she had a fractured skull, bruises, and several cuts to her body including her throat, both wrists, and both Achilles tendons. The preliminary cause of death, according to the police documents, was ruled as blunt force and sharp force traumas.

Maret said police and medical examiners were still working on gathering information as to the timeline of Jordan's injuries.

Neighbors said Jordan lived in the home for about five years and Thurber moved in about two years ago. 

Neighbors said Jordan had a volatile relationship with Thurber, and police documents described the pair as being boyfriend and girlfriend.

Neighbors told NBC 5 they heard a woman's screams coming from the house as well as some shouting. Later, neighbors claim to have heard Thurber's car drive away from the home. Police have yet to confirm any of those details.

"She is a nice lady. She was my friend, and whatever he gets, he deserves it." said neighbor Petra Garza.

Thurber is being held on a $100,000 bond and is being transferred to the Dallas County jail.

The address is known to police as officers have been requested to respond to the home 32 times in the past couple of years. Maret was quick to point out that police response at the home did not necessarily indicate that a situation had occurred at that location, as Jordan or another resident could have been reporting suspicious activity at a public park across the street from the home.

NBC 5's Julie Fine contributed to this report.

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