Who is Jason Thornburg? Texas cannibal serial killer could face death penalty

TARRANT COUNTY — A North Texas man recently convicted of killing three people, dismembering and burning their bodies in so-called “human sacrifices” is expected to be sentenced this week.

In addition to the crimes for which 44-year-old Jason Thornburg could face the death penalty, he has also confessed to previously murdering his ex-girlfriend and a roommate.

Here’s everything that happened leading up to his sentencing.

“human sacrifice”

On September 22, 2021, just after 6:15 a.m., West Fort Worth firefighters responded to a dumpster fire behind a business. When it was deleted, they found human body parts inside. The The bodies were badly burned and badly dismemberedand body parts were also missing, Fort Worth police said at the time.

Thornburg, an apprentice electrician, was arrested after surveillance footage from a Euless motel and from cameras near the dumpster linked him to the crime.

The victims, a man and two women, were David Lueras (42), Lauren Phillips (34) and Maricruz Reyes-Mathis (33). Thornburg told police he dismembered their bodies and stored them in a room at the Euless Motel before burying them by burning them.

Thornburg said he shared the motel room with Lueras. He told police he believed Lueras “had to be sacrificed.” So he slit his throat and then cut Lueras into pieces in the bathtub. According to police, Thornburg stored the remains in trash bags for several days before obtaining some Rubbermaid containers in which to store them.

He told investigators he knew the women “by chance.” However, he again believed that both women had to be sacrificed. He cut one of the women’s throats and placed her body parts in a storage container. According to an affidavit, two days later, the second female victim showed up at the hotel room where he stabbed and strangled her. Her remains also ended up in a storage container.

In-depth knowledge of the Bible

According to an affidavit, Thornburg said he had extensive knowledge of the Bible and believed he was called by God to perform human sacrifices.

Thornburg later admitted to killing his ex-girlfriend, 36-year-old Tanya Begay, in Arizona in 2017 and Mark Jewell, 61, a former roommate, in May 2021. Thornburg said he cut Jewell’s throat and then opened a gas line and lit a candle in the shared room.

In October of that year, a Tarrant County judge ruled that there was reasonable cause to believe Thornburg had one Mental illness or intellectual disability. The judge ordered an expert to interview Thornburg to determine whether he had a disability. The order also asked for information about whether he had received any treatment recommendations or services in the past.

Thornburg was in December charged with the murders of the three people whose charred bodies were found in Fort Worth. Despite the killings, he said his purpose in life was to serve God and help people. He also said he wanted to become a missionary.

In February 2022, Thornburg was charged in the death of his former roommate Jewell and faced life in prison for murder and arson. Authorities said Thornburg even spoke at Jewell’s funeral.

A few years and a postponement of court dates later, the trial against Thornburg started in November this year. During the trial, Thornburg said he ate part of Lueras’ heart before preserving his remains.

Later that month he was convicted of murder.

Now, during the penalty phase, jurors will decide how long Thornburg will stay behind bars. Prosecutors have pushed for the death penalty. Closing arguments began at 9 a.m. on December 4th.