Who is Jared James Dicus? Texas man who chopped off his wife’s head months after marriage found dead in his prison cell; here’s what we know so far

Jared James Dicus, the man who decapitated his wife just four months after their wedding, was found dead in his single-person cell on Friday (January 16, 2026). He was found hanging by the neck, KTLV reported, citing a state death report.

Dicus, 24, of Waller County in Texas, pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife, 21-year-old Anggy Diaz, in an open-and-shut trial in 2024. He was sentenced to four decades in prison, and his earliest parole date was set for 2043. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, his maximum sentence date was January 11, 2063, which was also his projected release date. Records also indicated that Dicus was eligible for inmate visitation.

The state death report revealed that he was found hanging in his cell on Friday at the Wainwright Unit in Houston County. The report obtained by KTLV further stated that Dicus was pronounced dead just before 11 PM after unsuccessful life-saving efforts by responding EMS staff.

Jared James Dicus and Anggy Diaz: Surprise marriage and the murder

Dicus and Diaz got married in October 2022, taking their closest friends by surprise, who disapproved of their relationship, the New York Post reported.

The mutilated corpse of Diaz, which included her severed head that was ditched in the shower with a knife, was discovered at the couple’s home near the town of Magnolia, northwest of Houston, according to Waller County Sheriff Troy Guidry.

Dicus’ father lived in a larger home on the same property as the couple’s cottage. According to The Post, he came across Diaz’s body and immediately called the police.

Dicus stole a can of beer hours before killing Diaz

A surveillance video obtained by Fox 26 captured the moments after the murder, according to police. The footage showed Dicus walking into a convenience store. According to convenience store workers, the time stamp on the video is off by about an hour.

In the video, Dicus was seen walking into the store, stealing a beer, walking past the counter without paying, and then opening the beer in the parking lot. He reportedly chugged in the parking lot, according to the footage.

Dicus was seemingly insecure about his marriage, said a close friend

A close friend of Diaz’s told The New York Post in 2023 that Dicus was seemingly insecure about his marriage. “He posted a video saying, ‘She is mine,’ to social media, and it was weird because no one was questioning that ... it was out of nowhere,” said the pal, who asked not to be named. The friend said that she last saw Diaz at a Christmas party less than a month before she was killed.

Dicus was in attendance but abruptly stormed out “looking really upset” while everyone else “was having a good time,” she said.

Diaz’s friend suspiciously claimed that she was a victim of domestic violence, even though “she never said there were any problems,” and speculated that “she was just embarrassed to admit her relationship wasn’t perfect,” as quoted by The Post. The local police corroborated her assumption.

According to the NY Post, Diaz was working as a fitness coach not long before her death. She aspired to settle down and have children. She was advised by her friend to “avoid getting pregnant so quickly” after marrying Dicus.