A Texas prisoner convicted in the 2023 decapitation murder of his newlywed wife was found dead late Friday in a single-person cell at the Wainwright Unit, state officials said. The inmate, identified as 24-year-old Jared James Dicus, was pronounced dead just before 11 p.m. Jan. 16 after prison staff and EMS attempted lifesaving measures.
Dicus had pleaded guilty in 2024 to killing his 21-year-old wife, Anggy Diaz, inside their Waller County home and was serving a 40-year sentence with parole eligibility beginning in 2043. His death ends a case that drew national attention for its brutality and swift resolution. Authorities said initial indications point to a self-inflicted injury. An autopsy is pending, and the prison system’s inspector general has opened a standard in-custody death investigation. No staff or other inmates were reported injured, and officials said there were no immediate signs of foul play inside the cell.
According to prison administrators, officers conducting rounds found Dicus unresponsive in his housing area late Friday. They initiated CPR and called outside medical responders, who pronounced him dead minutes before 11 p.m. The unit, located in Houston County near the town of Lovelady, houses inmates under a range of custody levels. Records show Dicus was the sole occupant of the cell where he was found. Notifications to next of kin were completed over the weekend, officials said. The agency said it will review logs of security rounds and any available camera footage in adjacent areas as part of its routine process following an in-custody death.
Dicus’ conviction stemmed from a killing that shocked communities west of Houston. Investigators said Diaz was slain on Jan. 11, 2023, at a small residence behind Dicus’ parents’ property in the Oak Hollow area of Waller County. Deputies responding to the scene found severe trauma and evidence of decapitation. Dicus, then 21, was arrested the same day and later confessed, according to earlier court statements. In July 2024, he entered a guilty plea to murder and received a 40-year prison term. Under the judgment, he waived appeal and was transferred to state custody that summer to begin serving the sentence.
Details about Dicus’ time in custody remain limited. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said the Office of Inspector General will conduct interviews with unit staff, review recent medical and mental-health contacts, and audit rounds logs to determine whether supervision policies were followed. The county medical examiner will establish the cause and manner of death following autopsy and toxicology testing. In similar cases, agencies compare notes to confirm timelines from first discovery to EMS arrival and to ensure notifications were made as required by law.
Diaz’s death reverberated in Waller County communities near Magnolia, where the couple had married in October 2022. Friends and relatives described Diaz as hardworking and close to family, with plans to expand her fitness coaching and help relatives abroad. After the guilty plea last year, Diaz’s family said they supported the sentence, which spared a protracted trial while guaranteeing decades in prison. Court records listed Dicus’ maximum sentence date as January 2063.
Friday’s death at the Wainwright Unit comes as prison oversight remains under scrutiny in Texas. In-custody fatalities trigger multiple reviews, including an inspector general investigation and a medical examiner’s autopsy. Findings can take weeks to finalize as lab results return. The unit, which sits north of Lovelady, has been the site of high-profile incidents in recent years and has drawn attention from corrections groups that track staff safety and inmate monitoring across the system.
Officials did not release additional details about the physical condition of the cell or whether any note was recovered. They also did not indicate that any security lockdown extended beyond the immediate area Friday night. Routine operations at the unit resumed after investigators documented the scene and collected statements, administrators said. Outside the prison, news of Dicus’ death quickly resurfaced memories of the 2023 killing and the brief court proceedings that followed.
Next steps include completion of the autopsy and the inspector general’s case summary, which typically compiles interview transcripts, housing and medical records, and any videos from corridors or common areas. Because the convicted offender is deceased, no further criminal court actions are expected in the murder case. Any policy findings tied to supervision, rounds or mental-health referrals will be forwarded to agency leadership for administrative review.
As of Wednesday, officials had not released a timeline for public findings on the in-custody death. Dicus’ remains were released to the county medical examiner over the weekend. Diaz’s relatives did not issue a public statement in the immediate aftermath, according to local reports.
Author note: Last updated January 21, 2026.