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Man indicted in killings of 3 people found in burning dumpster in Fort Worth

Suspect Jason Thornburg was indicted on a capital murder charge Monday for the September incident.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Editor's note: The above video is from Oct. 8.

A man accused in the deaths of three people who were found in a burning dumpster in Fort Worth has been indicted on a capital murder charge, the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office announced Monday.

Jason Thornburg, 41, was arrested after the bodies of the victims were found on Sept. 22 in west Fort Worth on Bonnie Drive.

The victims were identified as David Lueras, 42, Lauren Phillips, 34, and Maricruz Reyes-Mathis, 33.

According to the arrest warrant, Thornburg knew and met the victims at the Mid City Inn in Euless and that he confessed to his involvement in their deaths. He also "went into intimate details" about how he killed them, the arrest warrant stated.

The warrant also stated that he claimed he was being called to commit sacrifices and that he was also involved in two other separate killings, one in Texas and another in a different state.

In October, a Tarrant County magistrate judge ordered a mental health evaluation for Thornburg, stating there was "reasonable cause to believe [Thornburg] has a mental illness or is a person with an intellectual disability."

The parents of victim Reyes-Mathis told WFAA that she stayed at the Mid City Inn and never said anything about Thornburg. They believe she didn't know him.

“She just ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time,” said mother Mary Hanshaw.

“I really believe that he deserves the death penalty,” Hanshaw added. “Please, don’t let him out on the street again.”

Hanshaw said her daughter was involved in church groups and loved the holidays.

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