David Lueras, a 42-year-old Hispanic male from Euless, Texas, was brutally murdered in September 2021. His dismembered remains were discovered in a burning dumpster in Fort Worth, alongside the bodies of two women: Maricruz Mathis, 33, and Lauren Phillips, 34. The gruesome nature of the crime shocked the community and prompted a swift investigation.
Lueras had a criminal history involving burglary, drug offenses, fraud, and theft, and according to his cousin, he had recently reconnected with family members and expressed fear for his life, believing someone was after him.
The investigation led authorities to Jason Thornburg, a 44-year-old man who was renting a room at the Mid City Inn in Euless. Thornburg lured each of the victims separately to his motel room, where he committed the murders over the course of seven days. He slit the throats of David Lueras and Maricruz Mathis, strangled Lauren Phillips, and sexually assaulted her corpse. Thornburg then dismembered the bodies in the motel bathtub and stored the remains in trash bags under his bed. On September 22, 2021, he transported the remains in plastic tubs to a dumpster and set them on fire.
Thornburg later confessed to the killings, claiming he believed the victims needed to be sacrificed for religious reasons. Prosecutors revealed that he had eaten part of David Lueras' heart and mutilated his body further. Thornburg was described as methodical and sadistic, using scripture to manipulate vulnerable individuals. He was also linked to two other murders: his roommate Mark Jewell in May 2021 and his girlfriend Tanya Begay in Arizona in 2017.
In December 2024, a Tarrant County jury found Jason Thornburg guilty of capital murder and sentenced him to death. During the trial, Thornburg's defense argued he suffered from schizophrenia and other mental health issues, but the jury rejected the insanity plea. Victim impact statements from family members described the emotional devastation caused by the murders. Lueras' sister called Thornburg's actions “horrific and unspeakable,” while other relatives expressed their grief and anger, emphasizing the lasting pain and loss inflicted by the crimes.
