FORT WORTH, Texas — Note: The video above is from a report on Oct. 8, 2021.
A man accused in the killings of three people who were found in a burning dumpster in Fort Worth last year has now been indicted for a separate murder involving his roommate.
The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office said Friday that a grand jury indicted Jason Alan Thornburg, 41, on charges of murder and arson in the death of 61-year-old Mark Jewell. The incident happened on May 21, 2021.
Thornburg had previously been indicted for capital murder after three bodies were found on Sept. 22, 2021, in west Fort Worth on Bonnie Drive. Those victims were identified as David Lueras, 42, Lauren Phillips, 34, and Maricruz Reyes-Mathis, 33.
After Thornburg was arrested for the September incident, police said the 41-year-old had also confessed to his involvement in the death of his roommate at their Fort Worth home.
According to a warrant, Jewell was found dead in a gas explosion that happened minutes after Thornburg left the home for work. The warrant stated that Thornburg admitted to "sacrificing" his roommate before he uncapped a natural gas line and lit a candle.
Because of the explosion, Jewell's cause of death could not be determined by the medical examiner's office.
According to the warrant, Thornburg also claimed he was called to commit sacrifices, in relation to the three bodies in a burning dumpster. The warrant stated the 41-year-old knew and met the three victims at the Mid City Inn in Euless and that he confessed to his involvement in their deaths.
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 Reyes-Mathis told WFAA in October that they don't believe she knew Thornburg.
“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.”