Tarrant County seeks death penalty for murder suspect accused of dismembering 3 victims
The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty for a man who authorities allege killed and dismembered three people at a Euless motel and burned their bodies in a Fort Worth dumpster in September.
Jason Thornburg, 41, was arrested on a charge of capital murder in the deaths of David Lueras, Lauren Phillips and Maricruz Mathis. Their dismembered bodies were found in a burning dumpster in Fort Worth on Sept. 22.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Thornburg told detectives that he killed Lueras, Phillips and Mathis over five days in mid-September at Mid City Inn in Euless. Thornburg told police that he strangled Phillips and cut Lueras’ and Mathis’ throats, the Star-Telegram previously reported.
A grand jury indicted Thornburg on the capital murder charge in December.
Thornburg told detectives that he has in-depth knowledge of the Bible and was being called to commit sacrifices, according to the arrest warrant.
Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Sharen Wilson said in a news release Monday that deciding to seek the death penalty is a crucial decision for the office.
“The death penalty is reserved for the worst of the worst criminals,” she said. “It is only fitting that we seek the death penalty in this case.”
Thornburg faces additional, unrelated charges of murder and arson regarding the death of his roommate, Mark Jewell, on May 21, 2021. He also confessed to killing his girlfriend in Arizona, though her body has not been found, according to the warrant.
