A Texas jury on Wednesday sentenced a man to death for the murders and dismemberment of three people whose bodies were found in a burning trash can in Fort Worth in 2021.
A Tarrant County jury last month found Jason Thornburgh, 44, guilty of murder in the deaths of David Ruelas, 42, Lauren Phillips, 34, and Maricruz Mathis, 33. convicted of the crime. According to the arrest warrant, Thornburgh confessed to the murder to police.
“He's a bad guy,” prosecutor Amy Allyn told jurors.
According to Thornburgh's arrest warrant, he also told police he killed his roommate and his girlfriend.
Her roommate, Mark Jewell, 61, was found dead in a house fire earlier that year. Thornburgh's girlfriend, Tanya Begay, a Navajo woman from Gallup, New Mexico, went missing after traveling to Arizona with Thornburgh in 2017.
The suspect told officers he had a deep knowledge of the Bible and believed he was called to “make sacrifices,” according to the arrest warrant.
Thornburgh's lawyer had argued that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
