The Anggy Diaz case is the January 2023 murder of 21-year-old Anggy Diaz by her husband, Jared James Dicus, at their home in Waller County, Texas. Dicus decapitated and dismembered Diaz with a kitchen knife, confessed when deputies arrived, pleaded guilty to murder in July 2024, and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. In January 2026, he was found dead in his cell from what the Texas Department of Criminal Justice called a self-inflicted injury.
Who Anggy Diaz Was
Diaz was originally from Nicaragua and had moved to the United States several years before her death. She worked two jobs, one of them at a local meat market called Chepes, where she had learned English. Income from her second job went toward supporting her mother, Dania Diaz, who was undergoing cancer treatment in Nicaragua.1Express. Texas Murder Newlywed Decapitated
She married Jared James Dicus on October 21, 2022, in a ceremony officiated by Waller County Judge Trey Duhon. Both were 21.2ABC13. Anggy Diaz Murder: Jared Dicus Gets 40 Years for Wife’s Brutal Death The couple lived in a small home behind Dicus’s parents’ house in the 200 block of Oak Hollow Boulevard, a rural area west of Magnolia, Texas, about 44 miles northwest of Houston.3FOX 26 Houston. Jared James Dicus Decapitated Wife, Bond $500K They had been married less than four months when Dicus killed her.
What Happened on January 11, 2023
Dicus killed Diaz inside their home with a kitchen knife. Court documents described deputies finding her on the floor near the bed in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds in her back; her head was in the shower.4FOX 5 DC. Jared James Dicus Decapitated Wife, Bond $500K, Her Head Found in Shower Waller County Sheriff Troy Guidry confirmed Diaz had been both decapitated and dismembered, and that all remains were recovered as evidence.
The murder is believed to have occurred around 11:00 a.m. Surveillance video from the Chepes meat market where Diaz worked captured Dicus arriving at the store around 11:40 a.m., entering, taking a beer without paying, and opening it in the parking lot.5FOX 26 Houston. Waller Co. Murder: New Surveillance Video Captures Alleged Murder Suspect Stealing Beer From Convenience Store
At 4:15 p.m., Dicus’s parents grew concerned after interacting with him, went to check on the couple’s home, found the scene, and called the Waller County Sheriff’s Office. Dicus was still at the house when deputies arrived. He and his family were taken to the sheriff’s office, where he gave a witness statement and confessed to the killing.4FOX 5 DC. Jared James Dicus Decapitated Wife, Bond $500K, Her Head Found in Shower Guidry said at the time that investigators were still working to determine a motive.
Charges and the Bond Increase
Dicus was charged with murder and initially held on a $500,000 bond.6FOX 26 Houston. Jared Dicus Waller County Sentenced for Decapitation of Wife On January 24, 2023, Waller County Criminal District Attorney Sean G. Whittmore moved to raise the bond to at least $1 million, citing the brutality of the killing and Dicus’s conduct during a prior arrest.
Court records showed Dicus had been arrested on November 20, 2022, for driving while intoxicated, just weeks after marrying Diaz. According to Whittmore, Dicus had threatened a Magnolia police officer and Montgomery County Jail staff during that arrest, exhibited mood swings and violent outbursts including punching windows, and was placed in a restraint chair.7KHOU. Jared Dicus Wife Decapitated Bond The judge granted the increase to $1 million and ordered Dicus to undergo a mental evaluation. Questions about his competency to stand trial were raised during the pretrial phase, but a court-ordered examination found him competent to proceed.6FOX 26 Houston. Jared Dicus Waller County Sentenced for Decapitation of Wife
The Guilty Plea and 40-Year Sentence
On July 31, 2024, Dicus pleaded guilty to murder before District Court Judge Gary Chaney in Waller County and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Under the plea agreement, he waived his right to appeal the verdict and sentence, waived any potential defenses including an insanity defense, and waived any post-conviction writs of habeas corpus.6FOX 26 Houston. Jared Dicus Waller County Sentenced for Decapitation of Wife Because of what prosecutors called the aggravated nature of the offense, he would not be eligible for parole until 2043 at the earliest.8Click2Houston. Man Gets 40-Year Sentence for Murder of Wife Who Was Found Decapitated in Waller County
The Waller County District Attorney’s Office said it consulted with Diaz’s family before accepting the plea. In a public statement, Whittmore said: “Waller County does not tolerate domestic violence. Heinous crimes like this one will not go unanswered, we will seek justice for the victims of domestic violence and send a message to the perpetrators that here, we fight for our victims.”8Click2Houston. Man Gets 40-Year Sentence for Murder of Wife Who Was Found Decapitated in Waller County
Dicus’s Death in Prison
Dicus had been held at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Wainwright Unit in Lovelady, Texas, since August 8, 2024.9ABC13. Man Serving Time for Decapitating Wife Dies Behind Bars From Self-Inflicted Injury, TDCJ Says On the evening of January 16, 2026, staff found him unresponsive in his single-person cell. According to a state death report obtained by KLTV, he was found hanging. Staff attempted life-saving measures, and he was pronounced dead by responding EMS personnel just before 11:00 p.m. He was 24.10KALB. Texas Man Who Decapitated Wife Found Dead in Prison Cell TDCJ officially described the cause of death as a “self-inflicted injury.”11Click2Houston. Man Serving 40-Year Sentence for Killing Wife in Waller County Dies From Self-Inflicted Injury in Prison