A Texas man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering his wife in 2023.
On Wednesday, July 31, Waller County Criminal District Attorney Sean G. Whitmore announced that Jared James Dicus had accepted a plea agreement in the murder of his wife, Angie Diaz.
The couple had only been married three months when Diaz’s parents-in-law discovered the 21-year-old’s mutilated body in a home reportedly owned by the in-laws.
At a press conference at the time, Waller County Sheriff Troy Guidry said it was Discus’ father who saw Diaz’s body and “immediately called police.” Discus reportedly confessed to killing her during police questioning.
Dicus will serve his 40-year sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Institutional Division, Whitmore said in a press release.
Concerns were raised about Dicus’ mental competency before the trial, but a court-ordered examination determined he was competent to stand trial.
According to the statement, under the terms of the plea agreement, Dicus waived his right to appeal his sentence, his punishment and any potential defenses to the prosecution, including the possibility of pursuing an insanity defense at a later date.
Waller County Sheriff’s Office
Diaz’s family was informed of the terms of the plea agreement before it was finalized.
Dicus will be eligible for parole in 2043. However, the district attorney noted that parole eligibility does not automatically mean parole will be granted.
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At the time of Diaz’s death, Guidry said police had been dispatched to the former couple’s home before, but “never to this extent or level of violence.”
The sheriff added that this crime will have lasting effects on both families.
“This is our life today, I can only say. It’s a brutal scene. Both families, the suspect and the victim, will be changed by this case,” Gudry said.
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“This is a horrible thing. It’s a horrible crime. At this point we’re just hoping that it all ends for the best,” he continued.
According to multiple reports, Diaz was decapitated.
At a press conference last year, Gudry said officers came across “dismembered body parts and a blood-stained residence.”
“Waller County does not tolerate domestic violence,” the district attorney said Wednesday.
“Heinous crimes like this will not go unpunished. We seek justice for victims of domestic violence and send a message to perpetrators that we will fight for them,” Whitmore said Wednesday. “The District Attorney’s Office also thanks the Waller County Sheriff’s Office for their thorough investigation and service to the victim’s family and the people of Waller County.”
If you are a victim of domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in more than 170 languages.
