Texas man convicted after saying he mutilated victims, ate human heart as part of 'ritualistic sacrifices'

Jason Thornburg was found guilty of capital murder

A Texas man was convicted of killing three people, dismembering them and burning their bodies after admitting to investigators that he was called to "commit sacrifices."

Jason Thornburg was found guilty of capital murder on Wednesday and now, the same Tarrant County jury that convicted him must determine whether he receives a death sentence or if he will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Fox 4.

In September 2021, Thornburg killed three people, dismembered their bodies and stored them under his bed at a motel in Euless, Texas, before lighting the bodies on fire inside a dumpster in Fort Worth.

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Jason Thornburg

Jason Thornburg (Tarrant County Jail)

Thornburg confessed to investigators that he felt a compulsion to commit "ritualistic sacrifices" and that he ate a victim's heart and other parts of the victims' bodies.

His attorneys argued he was insane when he carried out the murders and suffered from a severe mental disease.

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Jail

Thornburg confessed to investigators that he was being called to "commit sacrifices" and that he ate a victim's heart and other parts of the victims' bodies. (iStock)

When he was arrested on murder allegations, Thornburg confessed to police he killed his roommate in May 2021 during a suspicious home explosion and his girlfriend in Arizona back in 2017.

These two previous murders were brought up in court on Thursday when the punishment aspect of the trial began.

Handcuffs on man

The jury must now determine whether he receives a death sentence or if he will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. (iStock)

The victims' families cannot speak publicly until the punishment phase is finished.

Authored by Landon Mion via FoxNews November 22nd 2024