A Texas inmate convicted of murdering and decapitating his 21-year-old wife was found dead Friday night in a single-person cell at the Wainwright Unit in Houston County, authorities said. The prisoner, identified as Jared James Dicus, 24, was pronounced dead just before 11 p.m. after lifesaving attempts by staff and EMS.
Dicus pleaded guilty in 2024 to killing his wife, Anggy Diaz, months after the couple wed in October 2022. He received a 40-year sentence and would have been eligible for parole in 2043. Prison officials said he was found hanging in his cell; an autopsy is pending. The death closes a case that drew statewide attention for its brutality and the speed of Dicus’ plea. It also places a fresh spotlight on conditions and monitoring inside state lockups when inmates are housed alone.
Officials said staff discovered Dicus unresponsive in his housing area late Friday, Jan. 16, and began CPR while calling outside medical responders. He was declared dead minutes before 11 p.m. at the state facility north of the small town of Lovelady. Records show Dicus was the sole occupant of the cell. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said a standard in-custody death review is underway, including checks of rounds logs, camera footage where available and recent medical contacts. No additional inmates or staff were reported injured, and authorities did not immediately indicate signs of foul play. Notification efforts to next of kin were completed over the weekend, officials said.
A Houston-area case file shows Dicus admitted to killing Diaz on Jan. 11, 2023, inside the couple’s home in the Oak Hollow area of Waller County. The pair had married in a brief courthouse ceremony the previous fall. Investigators said Diaz’s remains were found in the residence behind Dicus’ parents’ property, a discovery that prompted a rapid response from deputies and a later confession. The crime scene included a kitchen area and signs of dismemberment, according to earlier court statements. Community members held vigils for Diaz, a recent transplant who had started new work and was known for upbeat posts with family and friends.
As the homicide case moved through pretrial steps in 2023 and 2024, questions were raised about Dicus’ competency. A court-ordered exam found him fit to proceed. Prosecutors negotiated a plea agreement that resulted in a 40-year sentence, which Diaz’s relatives supported at the time. Under the terms of the plea, Dicus waived his right to appeal. He entered state custody that summer and was assigned to the Wainwright Unit, a prison in Houston County that houses offenders under a range of custody levels and provides medical and mental-health services on site and through regional providers.
Prison officials said the Office of Inspector General opened an investigation into the circumstances of Dicus’ death, a routine step after any in-custody fatality. The county medical examiner will determine the official cause and manner of death following autopsy and toxicology. Administrators said the facility will also conduct an internal review of supervision practices, including required checks for inmates in single-person cells. Any findings related to policy compliance are typically forwarded to the agency’s leadership team and to the state’s custodial death reporting system. The district attorney’s office in Waller County, which prosecuted the murder case, did not indicate any pending court actions connected to the prison death.
Diaz’s killing reverberated across Waller County communities west of Houston. Neighbors recalled law enforcement vehicles lining the rural road near the family property as investigators processed the home for hours in January 2023. Friends described Diaz as hardworking and hopeful, sharing plans about fitness coaching and future family life. Her relatives said they wanted a resolution that spared a lengthy trial while ensuring a significant prison term. The plea ended the possibility of a capital trial and allowed the court to enter a judgment with parole eligibility decades away.
State data show prison deaths are reviewed by multiple agencies, and outcomes can range from natural causes to suicide or homicide; in many cases, results are not finalized for weeks pending lab work. In Dicus’ case, prison officials noted there was no immediate threat to the unit’s broader security, and routine operations resumed after investigators completed initial interviews and scene documentation. Advocates for victims said the news will likely renew attention on Diaz’s life as well as the ongoing impact on her family, who previously spoke about honoring her memory through private remembrances rather than public statements.
As of Tuesday, the prison system’s inspector general and the local medical examiner continued their reviews. Officials said the next update is expected after the autopsy report is complete and any internal compliance checks are finished. No memorial arrangements connected to the prison death had been announced.
Author note: Last updated January 20, 2026.