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Jared James Dicus, convicted of murdering his wife, Anggy Diaz, died on January 16, 2026, at the Wainwright Unit in Lovelady, Texas, from what the Texas Department of Criminal Justice reported was a self-inflicted injury. He had been at the unit since August 8, 2024.

Dicus pleaded guilty to murder on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in the 506th District Court in Waller County under a plea agreement. Judge Gary Chaney sentenced him to 40 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He waived his right to appeal the verdict and sentence, any potential defense including an insanity defense, and post-conviction writs of habeas corpus. Under the sentence, he would not have been eligible for parole until at least 2043. District Attorney Sean Whittmore said the agreement and sentence were discussed with the victim's family beforehand.

Diaz, 21, was an immigrant from Nicaragua and the eldest of four. She had worked at Chepes Meat Market for more than three years and held a second job to support family back home. Dicus, 21, married her in October 2022 in a ceremony performed by Waller County Judge Trey Duhon. They lived in a small cabin behind his parents' home in the 200 block of Oak Hollow Boulevard, west of Magnolia, in Waller County, Texas.

On Wednesday, January 11, 2023, Dicus's parents called authorities after their son made a statement that led them to check the cabin. Deputies arrived in the late afternoon. Court documents say Diaz was found on the floor near the bed in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds in her back, and what appeared to be her head was in the shower. Sheriff Troy Guidry described a dismembered body and a residence covered in blood. He said evidence showed a kitchen knife was used, and all parts and pieces were recovered and submitted as evidence.

The Waller County Sheriff's Office arrested Dicus on January 11, 2023. Family members were taken to the sheriff's office. Officials said Dicus confessed to killing his wife when he was brought back there to give a witness statement. Bond was set at $500,000 on January 13, 2023. Later that month, a grand jury indicted him for murder, and the case was filed in the 506th District Court. Officials gave no motive. Investigators were reportedly looking at whether drugs were a factor.

Surveillance video showed Dicus entering the meat market where Diaz worked earlier that day, taking a drink and leaving without paying. Guidry said deputies had previously been called to the property for disturbances, but none involving "this effect or level of violence." It was unclear whether those calls involved Dicus or his older brother, who also reportedly lived there.

Before the plea, questions were raised about Dicus's mental health. A court-ordered examination found him competent to stand trial.