Man Who Decapitated Newlywed Wife Found Dead in a Texas Prison Cell

A Texas inmate who pleaded guilty to killing and decapitating his wife just months after their wedding was found dead in his prison cell Friday, according to state records, as reported by The New York Post.

Jared James Dicus, 24, was discovered hanging inside his single-person cell at the Wainwright Unit in Houston County, according to a state death report obtained by KLTV.

Prison staff attempted life-saving measures after finding Dicus unresponsive, but he was pronounced dead by emergency medical personnel shortly before 11 p.m.

Jared James Dicus, a Texas man, was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2024 after pleading guilty to the brutal 2023 murder of his newlywed wife, Anggy Diaz.

Dicus confessed to the killing shortly after his parents discovered the gruesome scene and called… pic.twitter.com/Ag9Ss3qgb2

— Hot Takes Nobody Asked For (@HotTakesNobody) January 21, 2026

Dicus pleaded guilty in 2024 to murdering his wife, Anggy Diaz, who was 21 years old at the time of her death. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison, with an earliest possible parole date set for 2043.

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Diaz and Dicus were married in October 2022 after what friends later described as a turbulent relationship. Four months later, on Jan. 11, 2023, Diaz’s body was discovered inside the couple’s Houston-area home.

Authorities said her remains showed signs of severe violence, including decapitation. Her severed head was found in the shower alongside a knife, according to investigators.

Dicus’ father, who lived in a larger home on the same property as the couple’s cottage, found Diaz’s body and contacted law enforcement. Police said Dicus was arrested a short time later.

Investigators said there was a brief period between the killing and Dicus’ arrest. During that window, surveillance footage showed him traveling to the Chepes meat market, where Diaz worked.

Authorities said he stole a can of beer and drank it in the parking lot before leaving the area.

Friends of Diaz later spoke publicly about concerns they had regarding the relationship. A close friend told The Post in 2023 that Dicus appeared insecure and controlling.

“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,” the friend said, requesting anonymity.

The friend said she last saw Diaz at a Christmas party less than a month before the killing. Dicus attended the gathering but left abruptly. “He looked really upset,” she said, while others at the party “were having a good time.”

The friend also said she suspected Diaz may have been experiencing domestic abuse, though Diaz never disclosed any problems directly.

“She never said there were any problems,” the friend said, adding that she believed Diaz may have been embarrassed to admit the relationship was troubled.

Fallece en prisión Jared James Dicus, condenado por decapitación de su esposa en Texas https://t.co/d2HeMI9ztK pic.twitter.com/88nO50oqzu

— Félix Victorino (@donfelixspm) January 20, 2026

That assessment aligned with statements later made by local authorities. Troy Guidry, the sheriff of Waller County, said days after the killing that his department had prior contact with the couple.

He noted there had been previous “disturbance” calls involving Diaz and Dicus, but nothing that rose to the level of violence seen in the homicide.

Diaz had recently begun working as a fitness coach and had expressed hopes of starting a family.

According to her friend, Diaz was advised to “avoid getting pregnant so quickly” after the marriage due to concerns about the relationship.

Texas prison officials have not released additional details regarding Dicus’ death, and it was not immediately clear whether the incident is being investigated as a suicide.

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