Fort Worth

Man Accused of Killing 3, Burning Their Bodies in a Dumpster Indicted in 4th Murder

Police say suspected killer says he was called to "commit sacrifices" and also sacrificed his girlfriend

charred grass
Scott Gordon, NBC 5 News

A man charged with killing and dismembering three people and then burning their bodies in a dumpster has now been indicted in the death of a fourth person, his roommate.

The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office said Friday afternoon a grand jury indicted 41-year-old Jason Alan Thornburg in the death of 61-year-old Mark Jewell.

According to an arrest warrant, during an interview in September 2021, Thornburg told officers that he'd been called to "commit sacrifices" and on May 21, 2021, he slit his roommate's throat, then uncapped a natural gas line and lit a candle.

The grand jury added charges of murder and arson to the capital murder charges he already faces for the deaths of David Lueras, Lauren Phillips, and Maricruz Mathis. Their dismembered bodies were found in a burning Fort Worth dumpster on Sept. 22, 2021.

The latest charges are first-degree felonies, punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison.

During the interview last fall, investigators asked Thornburg if there had been any other sacrifices and police said he told them that he also sacrificed his girlfriend in Arizona.

Tanya Begay, an American Indian woman from Gallup, New Mexico, has been missing since taking a trip with Thornburg in 2017.

Thornburg remains jailed in the Tarrant County Jail on a $1 million bond. Jail records do not list an attorney for him.

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