Authorities accused a 21-year-old Texas man of killing and decapitating his wife on Friday.
In connection with the death of Anggy Diaz, 21-year-old Jared Dicus has been charged with murder. Dicus is being held on a $500,000 bond.
Troy Guidry, Waller County sheriff, said authorities found Diaz’s body in a rural area near Magnolia, about 44 miles northwest of Houston, on Wednesday afternoon.
“This is a gruesome crime,” Guidry said.
Dicus was arrested at the murder scene, Guidry said. He later confessed to the killing, the sheriff said. A kitchen knife is believed to have been used in the killing.
In court records, Dicus was not listed as having an attorney.
Authorities are still trying to determine a motive for the incident, Guidry said.
Diaz, an immigrant from Nicaragua, had been working two jobs to support her mother’s cancer treatment back in her home country.
On the day she was found dead, KHOU-TV reported that surveillance video from the store where Diaz worked shows Dicus pulling up in the parking lot around 11:40 a.m. As shown in the video, he grabs a beer before opening it, taking a sip, and driving away from the store.
There had been previous calls of a disturbance in the house, but “nothing to this extent or level of violence,” Guidry told KHOU.
“We live in a gruesome world,” Guidry said. “Both sides of these families will be affected by it.”
Judge Trey Duhon announced on Facebook that he had married the couple in October.
“When I was with them, they were a very nice young couple,” Duhon wrote, adding: “I am deeply saddened and shocked by the news of this tragic event, and my prayers are with their families.”
The victim’s family set up a fundraiser called Diaz “the light to our family and community,” which had raised more than $20,000 as of Friday afternoon.