Waller County Sheriff's Office
A Texas man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to the grisly 2023 murder of his wife. On Wednesday, July 31, Waller County Criminal District Attorney Sean G. Whittmore announced that Jared James Dicus entered a plea agreement regarding the murder of his wife, Anggy Diaz.
The couple had only been married for three months when Diaz’s in-laws discovered the 21-year-old’s dismembered body in their home, which was reportedly owned by the in-laws. In a news briefing at the time, Waller County Sheriff Troy Guidry said it was Dicus’ father who “immediately called” the police after seeing Diaz’s body. Dicus allegedly confessed to killing her during his police interview.
Dicus will serve his 40-year sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Institutional Division, Whittmore said in a press release. During the pre-trial phase of the case, concerns about Dicus’ mental capacity were raised. However, a court-ordered examination determined he was competent to stand trial. Due to the terms of his plea agreement, Dicus waived his right to appeal the verdict, the sentence, and any potential defense to prosecution, including attempting to use an insanity defense later on, according to the release.
Diaz’s family was informed of the terms before the plea agreement was finalized. Dicus will be eligible for parole in 2043. However, the district attorney notes that “eligibility for parole is not an automatic grant of parole.”
At the time of Diaz’s death, Sheriff Guidry said police had been dispatched to the former couple’s residence before, but it was “nothing to this effect and to this level of violence.” The sheriff added that the crime would affect both families moving forward. “The best you can say is that’s the world we live in today. It’s a gruesome scene. And both sides of these families are gonna be altered by it, either way, suspect and the victim’s,” Guidry said ABC13 Houston.
“It is gruesome. It’s a gruesome crime. Hopefully, everything turns out to end up the best way it can at this point,” he continued. Multiple reports stated that Diaz had been decapitated. During a press conference last year, Guidry said officers were met with “a portion of a body, dismembered, and a residence that was covered in blood.”
“Waller County does not tolerate domestic violence,” the district attorney said on Wednesday. “Heinous crimes like this one will not go unanswered. We will seek justice for the victims of domestic violence and send a message to the perpetrators that here, we fight for our victims,” Whittmore said Wednesday. “The DA’s office also thanks the Waller County Sheriff’s Office for their thorough investigation and their service to the victim’s family and to the people of Waller County.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
