Jason Thornburg
7 min read
We hear about serial killers from the '70 and '80s so frequently that it is sometimes hard to believe they can exist at this very moment. I remember opening my phone to a slew of birthday texts and a notification from WFAA to this article last year on September 24. Inherently, I opened the news headline before any of the messages. Right around that moment, I began forming a dream to create a true crime blog. I followed the case every day until they identified Jason Thornburg as the suspect.
Introduction
On September 22, 2021, at around 6:15 a.m., the Fort Worth Fire Department responded to a dumpster fire outside a storage facility at 3120 Bonnie Drive. After extinguishing the flames, firefighters made a horrific discovery. Inside the dumpster were heavily dismembered body parts.
When the medical examiners arrived at the scene, they confirmed that there were at least three bodies, and some remains were unaccounted for. The bodies appeared to be an adult male, a young adult or teenage female, and a child of unknown sex.
In addition, a portion of a large tattoo was visible on the section of a back that was determined to be the letters "ueras." The identification process was challenging due to the severity of the mutation and the burned condition of the remains.
David Lueras tattoo
Source: Daily Mail
Criminal History
Jason Thornburg was an American Indian born on August 27, 1980. Records show that Thornburg lived in Arizona and Montana before moving to Fort Worth. In 2015 he was sentenced to nine months in jail for vehicle theft in Pima County, Arizona, and was paroled in February of 2016. In November 2018, Thornburg began a two-year sentence for evading arrest in Wise County, Texas. He was released to mandatory supervision in May 2019 and was discharged on June 11, 2020.
Investigation
Detective M. Barron used a partial name search to locate a possible last name of Lueras and located several Facebook pages for David Lueras, a Hispanic male born on October 29, 1978. In one of the Facebook accounts, Lueras had a photo of his back and shoulder tattoos that matched up precisely with the tattoo found on the severed body part.
The digital forensics unit obtained surveillance video across the street from the dumpster that showed a dark-colored SUV pull up and park at about 10:50 p.m. on September 21, 2021. The driver of the SUV, who appeared to be male, exited the driver's seat and made multiple trips from the trunk to the dumpster - taking containers from the back and dumping their contents into the trash before putting them back inside the vehicle.
The SUV leaves minutes later and returns at around 12:50 a.m. on September 22. Again, the driver gets out and makes multiple trips to empty the contents from the containers into the dumpster. He then places a single unknown item into the trash just before turning his vehicle around and returning to the dumpster to ignite the unknown item/substance, which starts a large fire seconds later. The SUV then drives away southbound and disappears from view.
Dumpster Site
Source: Daily Mial
Detectives located multiple surveillance videos in the immediate area that showed the SUV traveling to and from the dumpster each time. These videos allowed detectives to determine the vehicle to be a black Jeep Cherokee in the 2005-2010 range with chrome accents, chrome rims, and a roof rack. They began with a list of about 7,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees whose registered owners lived in Tarrant or Dallas counties.
Then, on September 27, Detective K. Sullivan located a 2008 Jeep Cherokee with unique chrome rims that matched the video SUV and bore a temporary reading of 24465P9. The Jeep was registered to Jason Alan Thornburg, who detectives had recently investigated for the suspicious death of his roommate on May 21, 2021.
Jewell and Thornburg’s home
Source: Daily Mail
Capture
Detective Sullivan contacted the lien holder for Thornburg's Jeep and found that the vehicle was affixed with a GPS locator that sporadically pings. Sullivan was advised that the Jeep was located in Arlington, and detectives drove to the location to view the vehicle.
Investigators confirmed that Jason Thorrnburg's Jeep matched the SUV seen in the surveillance videos. Also, the historical location data from Thornburg's Jeep showed he frequently was located at 1451 W. Euless Blvd in Euless, which is the location for the Mid City Inn.
Mid City Inn
Source: Daily Mail
Detective P. Vega went to the Mid City Inn and confirmed with the manager that Jason Thornburg had been the occupant of room #113 since July 28, 2021. Additionally, Vega was shown the motel surveillance video from the night the bodies were placed in the dumpster and observed a male leaving room #113 carrying several large containers. The man placed them into the back of a black Jeep Grand Cherokee while wearing what appeared to be a hazmat suit.
The Jeep pulls away at 10:24 p.m. on September 21 and returns to load more containers into the back of the vehicle before leaving again at 12:26 a.m. on September 22. The male returns at 1:28 a.m. and takes the containers from the back of the Jeep, returning them to the motel room. These times coincided with the times the suspect on video emptied the containers into the dumpster.
Residents of the Mid City Inn told investigators that Jason Thornburg often handed out fliers for a local church, sat outside reading his bible, and talked about God and wanting to help people. Detective Vega spoke with Scott Shaw, the resident above room #113. Thornburg and Shaw knew each other well and bonded over reading bible scriptures to one another. Shaw told Vega that he had seen an additional male staying with Thornburg for 2-3 days the week before the murders took place.
When shown a picture of David Lueras, Shaw confirmed that he was the man seen staying in room #113. Shaw also told detectives that a woman with reddish blonde hair was witnessed visiting Thornburg's room.
On September 27, 2021, at 6:00 p.m., three detectives located Jason Thornburg in Arlington, where he worked as an electrician. Thornburg willing agreed to come to the homicide office and speak with investigators.
Interrogation
Jason Thornburg told detectives that he had an in-depth understanding of the bible and believed he was being called to commit human sacrifices to God. Thornburg said David Lueras had shown up at his motel five days before the bodies were discovered. Thornburg believed that Lueras needed to be sacrificed and slit his throat. He then cut the body into pieces in the bathtub. Thornburg initially hid the remains in his room in trash bags before buying Rubbermaid-type tubs to store them in.
Two days later, a petite female he knew as Maricruz Mathis showed up at this motel. Thornburg slit her throat, dismembered her, and kept her body parts in the storage tub. Two days after killing Mathis, another female came to his room. Thornburg knew her as Lauren Phillips and told detectives that he had initially tried to stab her but ultimately had to strangle her to death. He cut her body into pieces in the bathtub just as the other two victims and stored her remains in the tubs. Thornburg said he used a Milwaukee straight blade knife to dismember the bodies. During the police search, a box for a Milwaukee brand knife was located in room #113.
Murder weapon used
Source: Daily Mail
Before ending the interview, Detective Barron asked Thornburg if he had also made a sacrifice regarding the death of his roommate, Mark Jewell, who died in a suspicious fire in May of 2021. Thornburg said that he had sliced Jewell's throat, uncapped the natural gas line, and lit a candle in the living room before leaving for work. The uncapped gas line and candle were located at the crime scene. Detectives asked if there had been any additional sacrifices, and Thornburg responded that he had sacrificed the body of his girlfriend, Tanya Begay, in Arizona.
Victims
Tanya Begay, 37 years old, was last seen with Jason Thornburg at her aunt's house in Tohatchi, New Mexico, on March 3, 2017. The red 2004 Dodge Neon she was driving was found abandoned. The police questioned Thornburg, then released him. According to Begay's family, he was abusive towards her and had a history of violence dating back to 2014. Days before her disappearance, Thornburg assaulted Begay with a coffeepot that lodged a piece of glass into her right eye.
Tanya Begay
Source: Charley Project
Mark Jewell, 61 years old, opened his home to Jason Thornburg as an act of Christianity. Thornburg had been staying at a halfway home at 600 N. Henderson St in Fort Worth when he met Jewell. A neighbor who lived on the same street as Jewell said he was a kind man who would always help her bring her trash bins in and mow her lawn. Thornburg spoke at Jewell's funeral and told the small crowd that his roommate was a good friend and they regularly studied the bible together.
Aaron Torres told detectives he hadn't heard from his cousin, David Lueras, in years. However, Lueras had recently reconnected with some family members in an attempt to hide out of state. He was scared and claimed someone was after him but wouldn't tell his family their names. Lueras, 42 years old, had a criminal history of drug abuse, fraud, burglary, and theft. Torres told investigators his cousin had just gotten lost in the wrong crowd. Lueras likely met Thornburg and hid out in his motel room.
David Lueras
Source: Fox 4 News
Maricruz Mathis, 33 years old, was a resident living at the Mid City Inn. Her parents said she recently left her husband and was living alone. Mathis had a history of drug addiction and had gone missing before. Her parents said their daughter never mentioned Thornburg, and they don't believe she knew him. She was a daughter, sister, and mother to a young boy. Mathis was described as a caring, bubbly woman who loved church and was involved in youth programs and assisting seniors.
Lauren Phillips, 34 years old, had battled drug addiction for five years and was living on the streets. Although the addiction strained her and her mother's relationship, they still communicated several times a week. Phillip's mother said her daughter had befriended Thornburg at the Mid City Inn after he handed her a religious flier. Phillips needed a place to stay, and that's how she ended up in room #113. Phillips was the mother of two teenage sons and was described as a loving, caring person who trusted everyone and liked to help the elderly.
Lauren Phillips
Source: WFFA
Where is he now?
Jason Thornburg currently remains jailed on a $1.2 million bond. He was indicted on four murder charges. In October 2021, a Tarrant County judge ordered a mental health evaluation for Thornburg, stating there was "reasonable cause to believe he has a mental illness or is a person with an intellectual disability. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for his trial, which has not yet occurred.
Jason Thornburg
Source: FWPD
Sources
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