Episode 334

A young couple seemed to be building a quiet life together in a small Texas town. But everything changed when 21-year-old Anggy Diaz was found brutally murdered. What followed was a maze of grief, confusion, and unanswered questions, leaving two families searching for answers. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Mike Boudet?

  Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. That's Toyota Fortability. And it all starts with a great deal on a truck from your local Toyota dealer. Make a smart buy on the off-road-ready Tacoma or half-ton Tundra, two of Toyota's most capable and long-lasting trucks. Built with the strength for the tough jobs, the tech to power your next big adventures, and the rugged style for everything in between. Or discover Toyota's off-road lineup, including the iconic 4Runner and Land Cruiser, designed to go beyond the everyday. And with Toyota's proven reputation for quality and reliability, plus available hybrid power

• 0:43Mike Boudet?

  on many models, you can get more for every mile and drive for less along the way. And long after you leave a lot, your Toyota keeps delivering with great resale value. So you can trade in for more when you're ready for your next Toyota. From a great deal today to a great value tomorrow, a Toyota is right for you. Shop toyota.com for deals and details, or stop by your local Toyota dealer today. Toyota, let's go places.

• 1:14Speaker 01

  This is Ashley Canetti from the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast. You know that feeling when your skin just needs a tall drink of water? That's what Clinique Moisture Surge 100-Hour Moisturizer is for. Moisture Surge 100-Hour Moisturizer absorbs instantly and hydrates for 100 hours for plump, glowing skin. That's right, 100 hours. It's a lightweight, oil-free gel cream, safe for sensitive skin, it's allergy-tested, and fragrance-free. So try Clinique Moisture Surge 100-Hour today at clinique.com. Feels like Moisture Surge.

• 1:51Speaker 02

  Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence, and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

• 2:05Speaker 03

  So how did you kill him? Tell us how you killed him.

• 2:09Speaker 04

  I don't know because it wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't Jerry. It wasn't Jerry.

• 2:26Mike Boudet?

  So I come back from, basically, almost, less than a week of a break. And I put out three episodes for you. I put out Sword and Scale Television, I put out Nightmares, The Return of Nightmares, by the way, Season 3, and Brand New Sword and Scale. And what do I get? I get complaints. I get some guy complaining, "Oh my god, this isn't the kind of story I wanted, so, oh my god, I'm gonna complain." You guys are miserable.

• 3:14Mike Boudet?

  Would it kill you to just say "thank you"? I mean, really? You don't work this hard. I know it. I can tell. You're gonna miss me when I'm gone, I promise you that. Why so negative? Always complaining. I bring you all the true crime in the world and all you do is complain. You people owe me. Go buy a shirt right now! Go buy a shirt! You owe me a shirt! Go buy a hat! Go buy a hat! Swordandscale.com. Go right now. Alright, is that enough silliness? Can we start? This is Season 13, Episode 330, I dunno, something,

• 3:59Mike Boudet?

  of Sword and Scale. A show that reveals that the worst monsters are real.

• 4:34Mike Boudet?

  Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. That's Toyota Fortability. And it all starts with a great deal on a truck from your local Toyota dealer. Make a smart buy on the off-road-ready Tacoma or half-ton Tundra, two of Toyota's most capable and long-lasting trucks. Built with the strength for the tough jobs, the tech to power your next big adventures, and the rugged style for everything in between. Or discover Toyota's off-road lineup, including the iconic 4Runner and Land Cruiser, designed to go beyond the everyday. And with Toyota's proven reputation for quality and reliability, plus available hybrid power on many models,

• 5:19Mike Boudet?

  you can get more for every mile and drive for less along the way. And long after you leave a lot, your Toyota keeps delivering with great resale value. So you can trade in for more when you're ready for your next Toyota. From a great deal today to a great value tomorrow, a Toyota is right for you. Shop toyota.com for deals and details, or stop by your local Toyota dealer today. Toyota, let's go places.

• 6:06Mike Boudet?

  Every family has a story that they don't expect to tell. In Waller County, Texas, two families were bound together by a relationship, a marriage and a moment of unimaginable violence.

• 6:21Speaker 05

  On the 11th, yesterday, approximately 4:18 PM, we received a call through dispatch. There's a possible deceased person, 21-year-old female inside a residence located behind 206 Oak Hollow. Upon arrival, they did find the deceased person inside the house. It was a...

• 6:46Speaker 05

  A portion of a body dismembered and a residence that was covered in blood. It's a gruesome scene at best. Further investigation led to the family being detained and the suspect placed into custody for what we're assuming is going to be a murder charge in the end.

• 7:13Mike Boudet?

  On the flat coastal plains of southeast Texas, something unthinkable happened. It was January 12th, 2023. The sheriff of Waller County stepped up to the microphones. He told the press what he could. By then, most of the facts were known: what happened, who was involved, where, when, and how. The only question left was, why? That would take some time. Days later, investigators sat down with someone who knew her best: her uncle, Irvin Orellana.

• 7:50Speaker 06

  She hasn't been here very long, Greg. Can you tell us about how she got here?

• 7:54Speaker 07

  She was brought illegally, if you already know.

• 7:59Speaker 06

  We don't care about that.

• 8:01Speaker 07

  She came along with her two brothers, okay?

• 8:05Mike Boudet?

  Angie Diaz came to the United States when she was just 17. She crossed the border with her two brothers. They were undocumented, but hopeful and determined. Like so many before her, she was chasing something simple: a better life. She landed in Waller County, just northwest of Houston, and moved in with her uncle. It wasn't glamorous, but it was safe, it was clean. And for Angie, it was a start.

• 8:35Speaker 07

  She was always, uncle teach me how to ride a lawnmower, I'll do it for you. And she was always, she always had that initiative of doing something for the house because she felt grateful that she was living with us. But in a way, she felt like a I can't, I can't put my so much weight on your shoulder, uncle. I gotta help you somehow.

• 8:59Mike Boudet?

  Angie carried her weight, helping her uncle and contributing in any way she could. They were family, but she didn't want to be a burden. Her uncle didn't put any pressure on her about finding a job or contributing financially. She was still young, but one eventuality worried him.

• 9:18Speaker 07

  And I even talked with her one day, like, I know eventually you're gonna meet someone. And when that time comes, there will be some set of rules at home for you to follow.

• 9:33Mike Boudet?

  Of course, Angie accepted her uncle's rules. She settled in, started to learn English, and found a job at the local Hispanic meat market called Chepe's. Chepe is Spanish slang for Jose. It's like calling a place Joe's for those monolingual people out there. And it wasn't long before she proved her uncle right and met someone. She followed the rules and told her aunt and uncle she was just starting to get to know them. Their relationship would build, and the family would finally meet them. But not long after that, she broke it off.

• 10:10Speaker 07

  I broke up with Jose. To us, it was very surprising news. Before we went to vacation, she had even bought a wedding dress because they were thinking of getting married.

• 10:25Speaker 07

  So, and then we came from vacation and all of a sudden she broke up with Jose. To us was like so very surprising, I think.

• 10:33Mike Boudet?

  Angie was young, but she was clear about what she wanted. She said there wasn't another guy. What bothered her was Jose's indecision and his reliance on his mother. He was a bit of a mama's boy. Angie wanted something more.

• 10:51Speaker 07

  I have not met anyone. It's just that I don't think it's gonna work out. "I need a real man in life, in my life. I can't keep wasting my time with a kid," she says.

• 11:05Mike Boudet?

  Angie had large aspirations in life and had the work ethic to achieve them. The last thing she wanted to do was waste it with a mama's boy. She needed a man instead with similar life goals. Her uncle, though, suspected that maybe she'd already met him.

• 11:25Speaker 07

  Later, I had a conversation with her, just one-on-one. I told her, "I need you to be honest with me. Is there anyone you're getting to know? Is anyone you're talking with? And I need to know, is there someone else in your life? Because I am responsible of what happens to you." You were looking out for her, yeah. And she said, "Yes, yes, I met someone. And right now, we're not going out. We're just getting to know each other." And I said, "Okay, it's fine. Thank you for letting me know."

• 12:01Mike Boudet?

  That's when Jared Dykes showed up. He was quiet, but there was something about him, put it that way. Here's how his dad Rodney remembers the first time Jared met Angie.

• 12:14Speaker 08

  The pickup line that he used to get her to call him. Apparently, he had gone into the store where she was working at. And he was looking at his phone and he told her, he said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what to do," or something to that line. And she's like, "What?" He said, "I cannot find your number in here." And she gave him his number. And that's when they started dating.

• 12:41Speaker 08

  What kind of relationship did they have, did you know? I thought that it was a pretty cool relationship because every time you heard them two, they were laughing.

• 12:51Mike Boudet?

  Jared wasn't anything like Jose. He had a career as an electrician and, more importantly, didn't have to ask his mom for permission every time he did something. He was also white, with bright red hair, which earned him the nickname "rojo" around Chepe's Meat Market. In case you didn't know, rojo is Spanish for red. They talked constantly: video calls, voice messages, that sort of thing.

• 13:26Mike Boudet?

  They were falling in love.

• 13:28Speaker 07

  Eventually, she came home, she's like, "Look, uncle, I really love him a lot, and he loves me a lot, and we have decided to get married, and I would like you to be the witness."

• 13:44Mike Boudet?

  He thought to himself, "What can I do? I'm just the uncle." If Angie wanted to marry Jared, he wasn't going to stand in her way. By this time, she was 21 years old, a grown woman who could make her own decisions. She could do whatever she wanted with or without his approval. But even before the family could meet Jared, she tied the knot.

• 14:08Mike Boudet?

  She texted her uncle a picture of her and her new husband on the steps of the courthouse. Jared carried Angie across his arms as they kissed. Her white dress shimmered in the sunlight. When Angie's uncle finally met Jared, he was impressed. Jared was always clean and well-dressed. He was polite. He always shook hands, but he was quiet. He couldn't speak Spanish, so he was often lost during conversations. But he tried to be part of the family. During Christmas, he bought Angie's little cousin's Nerf guns and played Nintendo with them. It was all very wholesome.

• 14:49Speaker 07

  He gave you this perspective of a mature person.

• 14:54Mike Boudet?

  It was a whirlwind relationship. They had been dating for a few months when they got married in the fall of 2022. But both Angie and Jared gave it their all. Jared started spending all his money to convert a small outbuilding on his parents' property into an efficiency apartment for them. Angie started taking beach body training courses, even flying to Florida to attend. She had her sights on becoming a fitness instructor. They were happy, with their whole lives ahead of them. Isn't that usually how it starts?

• 15:30Speaker 09

  Wally County 911. Yes ma'am, my name is Rodney Dykes, I need an ambulance and police, a 2060 call. Okay, what's going on? I don't know everything, but my son's wife is dead, please. Okay. Oh my God. Okay. Where is he at? He's in my house. Okay, this is your house? They have a building on my property. Oh my God, please.

• 16:06Speaker 03

  911, 2060.

• 16:09Speaker 09

  Okay, sir, just calm down, we're getting people on route, okay? And you said... Okay, and you said this is who to you now? She's my daughter-in-law. She's my daughter-in-law.

• 16:27Mike Boudet?

  Angie was dead. Rodney Dykes found his daughter-in-law lying in a pool of blood in Jared's apartment. It was clear, even to Rodney, that only one person could have been responsible.

• 16:42Speaker 09

  Oh my God, please hurry. There's something wrong with my son. Please hurry. He has no weapons. He's in my house. He's lying in the floor crying. Okay, okay. Oh my God, damn it. Oh, son.

• 17:06Mike Boudet?

  Rodney was clearly in anguish, but he had to call 911 because Jared's mother Lynn couldn't. She saw Angie's body too and just lost it. Her legs gave. She went down on the ground in the front yard and couldn't get back up. Crying, wailing, waiting for the police to arrive. Her husband Jared was balled up on the floor inside his parents' house also, crying. The whole situation didn't make any sense, but Rodney had felt something was coming.

• 17:41Speaker 09

  Oh my God, I sold him in the hospital to keep him. Oh my God, I sold him that, I sold him that two days ago to keep him. I had him in the hospital two days ago. He was hearing voices. I told the doctor to keep him and the doctor said, "You're slowing."

• 18:04Mike Boudet?

  The scene got hectic quickly. While the dispatcher was relaying this information over the radio, the EMTs were out of the loop. They walked into something they never expected.

• 18:15Speaker 10

  There looked to be like a towel on the floor and pink socks from what I could originally see. As I began to step up the steps, I could see underneath the towel there was, looked like blood. It looked like there was some blood on the floor as well. Because we had no information, didn't know what had happened, had she committed suicide with a shotgun, you know, what we were walking into. There was a desk immediately to the right of me when I walked in the door. Looked like it had a computer on it. And as I looked around the desk, I could see her feet. Stepped in farther and I could see the rest of the body and then I realized I was, the patient did not have a head. At that point, my crew was coming up behind me. I stopped them.

• 18:59Speaker 10

  I said, "Back out, we're in a crime scene." And they said... They kinda looked at me and they realized the look on my face. They even told me later, they're like, "We saw the look on your face, we knew that there was nothing we were gonna do." So, they backed out. I backed out, Ian Muscat there, uh, vice paramedic what we had. I said, "There's nothing we can do."

• 19:19Mike Boudet?

  This wasn't a suicide or accidental death. This was a crime scene. And very obviously so.

• 19:26Speaker 04

  I need crime scene and detectives out to this location ASAP.

• 19:34Mike Boudet?

  Deputies were already en route. Still, more surprises were waiting on Oak Hollow Boulevard.

• 19:41Speaker 11

  Oh, constable, thank you for coming. Who you got detained?

• 19:47Speaker 11

  Emergency. Sure? Emergency. Oh, I understand. Okay.

• 19:54Mike Boudet?

  The lead deputy assessed the scene. Jared was already in the back of a patrol car. His mom Lynn was weeping on the front lawn. His father Rodney paced back and forth when he wasn't seated on his riding mower. Other deputies kept them separate and took all of their phones. The lead deputy had the big picture, but the lead paramedic filled in the details.

• 20:18Speaker 11

  Yeah, she was just brutally stabbed. He just goes stab wounds to her back, her head's in the bathtub, I mean, it's a... Old redhead? It's a... no, she's darkish pink. No, no, no. The one that... the one you got in... the one you got detained is old redheaded boy? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

• 20:36Mike Boudet?

  The responding deputy thought he knew exactly what this was. That redhead boy, he'd seen him before. But as the scene unfolded, something didn't sit right. What they found inside that small apartment was worse than anyone expected. And the truth was far stranger than the assumptions that had brought them there. Whatever happened wasn't just violent. It was something deeper. It was something harder to name.

• 21:25Mike Boudet?

  Buy smart, drive for less and trade for more. That's Toyota Fortability. And it all starts with a great deal on a truck from your local Toyota dealer. Make a smart buy on the off-road-ready Tacoma or half-ton Tundra, two of Toyota's most capable and long-lasting trucks. Built with the strength for the tough jobs, the tech to power your next big adventures, and the rugged style for everything in between. Or discover Toyota's off-road lineup, including the iconic Forerunner and Land Cruiser, designed to go beyond the everyday. And with Toyota's proven reputation for quality and reliability, plus available hybrid power on many models,

• 22:09Mike Boudet?

  you can get more for every mile and drive for less along the way. And long after you leave the lot, your Toyota keeps delivering with great resale value. So you can trade in for more when you're ready for your next Toyota. From a great deal today to a great value tomorrow, a Toyota is right for you. Shop toyota.com for deals and details or stop by your local Toyota dealer today. Toyota, let's go places.

• 22:39Speaker 12

  Hi, I'm Jenna Oshkowitz. You might know me from Glee. This is At the Table, the food allergy podcast, a show about food connection and what it really looks like to live with food allergies. Each episode, we hear stories from real people like Daniel.

• 22:54Speaker 13

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• 23:05Speaker 12

  And while there are challenges, there are moments that remind you you're not alone.

• 23:10Speaker 14

  One of the best guys that I dated, he made a point to memorize all my food allergies.

• 23:16Speaker 12

  So join us and hear their stories and more. Because living with food allergies isn't just about what you can't eat. It's about still having your seat at the table. Brought to you by Genentech and Novartis. Listen to At the Table, the food allergy podcast on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow At the Table and start listening on the free iHeart Radio app today.

• 23:36Speaker 15

  ChatGPT for Teens is designed to help teens learn, think critically, and grow their skills. ChatGPT for Teens supports active learning by breaking concepts down. Rather than giving teens the answer, study mode helps teens work through problems, and interactive quizzes test their knowledge and provide immediate feedback. Safety protections are on by default, and parental controls offer families additional options, like setting study hours and quiet hours. Visit chatgpt.com/parents to learn more.

• 24:19Mike Boudet?

  The body of Angie Diaz was found on the floor of a small apartment she shared with her husband, Jared Dykes. But her head was found in the bathtub.

• 24:30Speaker 05

  And this was taking place in a residence occupied by himself, the suspect, and the wife, the deceased, living behind the parents' house.

• 24:43Speaker 16

  Turning now to what appears to be a horrific case of domestic violence in Waller County. And we do want to warn you, the details in this case are very disturbing.

• 24:53Speaker 05

  Everything happened on the property, and all parts and pieces were recovered and submitted for evidence.

• 25:04Speaker 17

  She was found dead this past Wednesday. Investigators say that her husband, Jared Dykes, had killed her with a kitchen knife, severing her head from her body.

• 25:13Speaker 05

  It is gruesome. It's a gruesome crime, and the best you can say is that's the world we live in today. And it's a gruesome scene. And both sides of these families are going to be altered by it, either way, suspect and/or the victims.

• 25:33Speaker 16

  They were only married in October, and now he is charged with her murder.

• 25:39Mike Boudet?

  Newlyweds Jared and Angie had so much promise. Now Jared was charged with her murder. But the media calling it a horrific case of domestic violence didn't really tell the whole story. You see, the sheriff's department was familiar with the address.

• 25:57Speaker 05

  There has been prior calls disturbance wise, but nothing to this effect and to this level of violence.

• 26:06Speaker 11

  Is this old crazy boy? Yeah. You been here before? I've been here before. Yeah, I have. Where was, where was old redhead? He was sitting down in the shed right here with his mom. Did he say anything to you? He didn't say, "I'm a sick person," and I didn't say shit else. Okay.

• 26:28Mike Boudet?

  When they got there, they assumed it would be more of the same. But as deputies talked with the father Rodney.

• 26:34Speaker 11

  Were we done? Was that all the information you needed for me? You wouldn't have to know Ms. Angie's maiden name? They said your wife's? DS. DS? A.D.

• 26:47Mike Boudet?

  And the mother Lynn?

• 26:49Speaker 11

  Hello ma'am, I'm Deputy Lewis. I think I've talked to you at the door here a while back about maybe some dogs or something. No, your son's truck. Remember I come knocking on your door one morning and said, "Hey, you know where, you know where that truck's at?"

• 27:05Mike Boudet?

  And the brother Wayne?

• 27:06Speaker 11

  I was telling you mama, I think the last time I was here, your brother's truck was broken down or out of gas or something. Was yours?

• 27:14Speaker 09

  Yeah.

• 27:15Mike Boudet?

  They realized it wasn't what they thought at all.

• 27:19Speaker 11

  It's a mom and daddy and two brothers. And then unbeknownst to me, one of the brothers got married back in September, little girl that worked at Chevy's, and they're living in the shed back behind the house. But when I heard possible BOA at 206 Ocala, I thought it was the brothers that's sitting up front of the carport. I just figured he'd OD. I wouldn't, I didn't, I didn't think this other one would be involved.

• 27:50Mike Boudet?

  Between Jared and his brother Wayne, Jared was the good son. Jared.

• 27:57Speaker 11

  Randy Lewis, remember me? Yes, sir. You okay? Yes, sir.

• 28:02Mike Boudet?

  Wayne was the one who had previous run-ins with the law. Even the deputy was surprised to find Jared in the back of the patrol car. But interviews with the parents would shed light on Jared's recent behavior. He'd been acting unusual for some time. But the day of the murder, all the parents worries would come to a head.

• 28:25Speaker 08

  I think it was around noon when Jared came in and told me that we needed to go to, like, we needed to go to a Houston store and he gave me the store number. I kept telling him, "That doesn't tell me anything. I don't know, I don't have an app to look up store numbers like you do. Because I don't work for an app. You have to give me an address so I know where we're going." He said, "It's Houston." I said, "Houston's fairly large, it doesn't tell me shit." And he went back there and his mother was asleep and he came back. And that's when I stopped him and cornered him and he heard where we're going. I don't think he was going to talk to me at all. I don't, I don't, I don't get the impression that he was there to talk to me. I got the impression he was there to talk to his mother.

• 29:08Speaker 08

  And then I asked him, "What does he need?" He told me he needed his gun. And what did you tell him? Told him, "You're not getting that gun back right now while you're like this." I said, "What do you need your gun for?" And he did this.

• 29:26Mike Boudet?

  Already suspicious of his behavior, there was no way Rodney was going to give Jared his gun. When he asked him what he needed it for, he pantomimed putting the gun up to his own head. But then quickly tried to play it off like he was just scratching an itch. Odd, for sure.

• 29:44Speaker 08

  I just needed. And I said, "That's it." And I went and woke his mother up. I started asking her, "Who do we call? Do we take him to the hospital? Jared, do you want to go to a hospital? Do you want to go to a mental hospital? What do you want to do?" And that started the conversations. And I laid down and...

• 30:06Speaker 08

  The next thing I know, I woke up and my wife was yelling at him from our bedroom to the hall bathroom, the common bathroom.

• 30:15Speaker 03

  Mm-hmm.

• 30:16Speaker 08

  Because she heard him on the phone and that was around four, four P M. today.

• 30:20Speaker 03

  And then his behavior just kept getting weirder and weirder and weirder.

• 30:26Speaker 08

  From one o'clock on?

• 30:28Speaker 03

  Yeah, but he just wouldn't answer my questions. I said, Derek, do you need to take you somewhere? Do you need to talk to someone? And then I just found him sitting in the bathroom, on the toilet. He's looking at his phone and then he was talking to someone and I said, well, who are you talking to? And he wouldn't like to answer me. He said, that's my, that was my boss. I said, well, you didn't say much. I said, what did he want? I mean, he was giving me my instructions for the tonight's job. And then he came in my bedroom, because I asked him, Derek, come here, because he wouldn't answer my questions, you know?

• 31:13Speaker 03

  I heard a phone ring from the bathroom and I was like, whose phone is that in the bathroom? Why do you have? And he was like, well, I have two phones. And then I said, why do you have two phones? And then he goes, no, I only have one phone. Like, he would just go back and forth and back and forth with these weird answers. And, um, he went and picked it out of the bathroom and put it in his pocket and I said, why do you have two phones? And, uh, then I said, give me your phone. And he gave me both of them and then I noticed one of them was in Spanish. I said, well, this is Angie's phone, because I saw the picture of Jared and Angie on the phone. So I just recognized that as hers, everything's in Spanish. And I just kept asking him, why do you have Angie's phone?

• 32:00Speaker 08

  When you thought she was supposed to be at work.

• 32:02Speaker 03

  Yes, and then it just, me and my husband just right away, ran outside.

• 32:08Mike Boudet?

  Already worried about their son's behavior, their stomachs sank when they saw that he had Angie's phone. They didn't know what to expect, but they knew it wouldn't be good.

• 32:20Speaker 08

  I opened the door and I walked in and he couldn't see anything and I took a step in and I saw him on the floor. And that's what I told my wife, I says, "You don't want to come in here," and she came in. And I said, "Call 911," and that's, I knew she wasn't going to be able to. I grabbed my phone and I started calling. When y'all walked in, what did you see?

• 32:42Speaker 03

  Her lung.

• 32:44Speaker 08

  Can you describe that for me? I know it's hard, but...

• 32:47Speaker 03

  Just, she was on her stomach.

• 32:49Speaker 08

  Okay.

• 32:50Speaker 03

  And just blood on the, this side. Or right side.

• 32:55Speaker 08

  So...

• 32:55Speaker 03

  And we just...

• 32:57Speaker 08

  Any other type of injuries you saw?

• 33:00Speaker 03

  I didn't see her head, but I don't know.

• 33:04Speaker 08

  You didn't see her head at all?

• 33:05Speaker 03

  No. But I, that was, it was a quick glance and I didn't see her hair, because she had long, long, long hair. I didn't see her hair. And we went back to the house and I said, "What have you done here?" And she was already on the floor, crying.

• 33:22Speaker 08

  Or in your bedroom.

• 33:23Speaker 03

  Or whatever.

• 33:24Speaker 08

  Okay. What did he say?

• 33:29Speaker 03

  He, he just said, "I'm sorry." He wasn't giving me any, any answers. None. "I'm sorry, I'm not that person."

• 33:42Mike Boudet?

  Rodney and Lynn found Angie's body lying in the floor of the apartment. They knew it was already too late to help her. While they scrambled to call the police and keep Jared from doing anything else, their minds flooded with all the little weird things Jared had been doing for a while now. At work the night before, his father noticed some odd things.

• 34:05Speaker 08

  That was his demeanor and everything? That's, he's quiet. He was quiet, he's been...

• 34:12Speaker 08

  I don't know what the words are, but I, I think the word is lethargic. He just detached away. He was happy because he was going to work. And it was to, he seemed, he was really happy that he was, he, they, he was laid off from November. It, it was because they're slow during that time of year, it happens every year. And he doesn't like that, but he was laid off during November, December. And this was his first job back. Okay. No, I'm sorry, this was his third job back. He did have two other jobs prior to that. But he was happy that he was going to work. But other than that, he was just distant and we didn't talk.

• 34:57Mike Boudet?

  When Jared wasn't laid off, he was an electrician. And the company he worked for had a contract with Home Depot. The night before the murder, he was supposed to work at two different store locations. At the first one, Rodney noticed Jared was just off.

• 35:13Speaker 08

  So I started the demo and then he came over and said, "I'm sorry, pops, you're on the wrong aisle. You need to put these back up."

• 35:24Speaker 08

  My gosh. So I put them all back up. And he said, "Make it look like we weren't on this aisle." You know, kind of to say that, you know, we didn't mess up. I got them all back up and as soon as I got them back up, he kind of, I just said, "I'm sorry, Daddy says it is the right aisle. You need to go ahead and demo this." That was a little strange because they've been doing this so long, they don't, him and my older son, they don't, they don't usually start on the wrong spot, you know?

• 36:00Mike Boudet?

  Other than that oddity, the rest of the job went fine. Afterwards, they headed to the second location. The store was closed by then, and the manager had to meet them at the door to let them in. That's when Rodney learned that Jared had gone to the two locations out of order. Another uncharacteristic mistake by Jared.

• 36:20Speaker 08

  So when we got there, she said, "Oh, hold on, you're not going in. You've got to tell me what you're here for." And of course, those managers, they know what's happening in their stores. They know what aisles people are supposed to be on, they know what people are supposed to be doing. And she was asking him that, and I don't have that information, so I don't say anything. And she asked him for, and I don't remember the words that she used, his ID code, or job order code, or something. And he said, "I love you, Father." And she asked him, "What?" And I looked at him, and I was like, "I can't believe he just said that." And he looked at her, and he said, "I love you, Father."

• 37:05Speaker 08

  So he wasn't looking at you, he was looking... No, he was not looking at me, he was answering her question. And it kind of pulled me back a little bit, and I said, "Jared, she needs your job number. It's on your phone." So he started working on his phone, and it looked like he was just despondent and distracted.

• 37:26Mike Boudet?

  Eventually, Jared found the work order. He and his dad got the job done. He read the blueprints, followed the instructions, and everything went the way it should. But something still felt off. Jared wasn't acting like himself, and on the drive home, his dad noticed.

• 37:44Speaker 08

  And did he ever make, on the way home, he make any remarks? He said, "When we were just leaving the store, we were getting on to 290." What did he tell me? He said, "I'll never give up again." And I says, "You're not supposed to give up, you're supposed to keep going forward." So whatever was bothering him over the last few days, or whatever was going through his mind over the last few days, I think I thought at the time that him going to work made him realize that, you know, you don't need to give up, you just need to, you know, and of course, they were... You just need to keep going forward and I felt really relieved that he said that.

• 38:28Mike Boudet?

  Rodney took Jared's comment as a good sign that he was getting over whatever it was that was bothering him. Both Rodney and Lynn had noticed the change in their son over the last few months. And it all started with the death of his best friend.

• 38:42Speaker 03

  This is where, yeah, with Tony first, his brother got a threat, his brother lost his job.

• 38:50Speaker 03

  Then he got a D W I in November. So now he can't drive with his job. It started when he, I think, when the night that he got the D W I.

• 39:05Speaker 03

  He was crying and wailing in front of our about the death of his best friend.

• 39:11Speaker 08

  In May of 2022?

• 39:12Speaker 03

  Yes, he said, really, that's the other one.

• 39:16Mike Boudet?

  In May of 2022, Jared's best friend died suddenly. It shook him. Not long after he met Angie and by September they were married. But whatever stability that brought didn't last very long. He was laid off from work, tried to start a business but couldn't get it off the ground. The failure seemed to wear him down. Then came the D W I in November and with it, the loss of his license. But it wasn't until the final week, the week leading up to Angie's death, that his parents started to fear something was truly wrong.

• 39:53Speaker 08

  And everything seemed normal at the time?

• 39:57Speaker 08

  No, nothing has seemed wrong with Jared since Sunday. Okay, since the Sunday before? Yes, but it seemed like he wasn't as bad as he was before. Okay. So, no, he's not been himself for a few days. Explain to me how, describe. He answers yes or no, sir, yes, I've known that recently. Before, you know, you say, "You thirsty?" "Yeah, I'm thirsty." "You're lazy, are you thirsty?" "Yes, sir." It's just a quiet.

• 40:30Speaker 08

  It's not him.

• 40:33Mike Boudet?

  While being polite isn't the biggest red flag, it wasn't like Jared. Like parents do, they started asking him what was wrong.

• 40:41Speaker 08

  He kept saying that he was on meth.

• 40:44Speaker 08

  And then you would start grilling him about it, and then he would say, "I'm on meth."

• 40:51Speaker 08

  "I just told you that."

• 40:53Speaker 03

  When Jared started acting strange, like I kept asking, you know, "What's wrong with you?"

• 41:02Speaker 03

  And then he said, "I said, 'Are you on drugs?" And he would say, "No." And then the next time I would ask him, "What's wrong?", he would say, "I'm on drugs." And, "Okay, well, are you or aren't you, where is it? Where did you get it?"

• 41:16Speaker 08

  And he would convince us that he had gone and got meth, and that's what he was doing. He wasn't sure on how he was using it, you know, because you're asking questions, "Are you smoking it? Are you shooting it? Do I need to look at your arms? You know, "How are you using this? Are you snorting it, smoking it, shooting it? What are you doing?" "I don't, I don't know." And things like that. It'd be like, you would believe that he is, but then you would be like, "He's not telling the right stuff." Yeah. To be using that.

• 41:52Mike Boudet?

  They couldn't get a straight answer from Jared. He was acting like he was on drugs, but people on drugs can still tell you what they were doing. They were convinced he was having some sort of mental episode.

• 42:04Speaker 03

  And my husband did tell me that there was something that happened, because Jared has, something's been going on with him.

• 42:12Speaker 08

  Mentally, physically?

• 42:13Speaker 03

  Mentally. And this was dead. I'm gonna say it about a week.

• 42:20Speaker 03

  When I ask him, "Are you doing drugs?", and then he'll say, "Yes", and then he'll say, "No", and then, um, I'm not sure what day it was, a couple nights ago, he called an ambulance on his show.

• 42:34Speaker 18

  Well, I can't any 911.

• 42:36Speaker 08

  Yes, this is Jared Duckett.

• 42:40Speaker 18

  Hello?

• 42:43Speaker 18

  Well, we're trying to go ahead.

• 42:45Speaker 04

  I'm just, I, I did a little bit of drugs and I need help. Want to see what this so-called Boulevard?

• 42:51Speaker 18

  Okay, and what's the problem?

• 42:53Speaker 04

  I just don't feel well.

• 42:56Speaker 18

  Okay, and you said you took drugs?

• 43:00Speaker 04

  No, ma'am, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm still here, sorry, I don't know why I called.

• 43:05Speaker 18

  Okay, and, um, are you there by yourself? Is there somebody with you?

• 43:10Speaker 04

  No, ma'am, my, my family's here with me.

• 43:12Speaker 18

  Oh, your family's with you, okay. Okay, so you don't...

• 43:14Speaker 04

  I'm just, you're the, probably driving everybody there.

• 43:18Speaker 18

  Okay, but do you need an ambulance or no? Are you good?

• 43:22Speaker 04

  I need an ambulance.

• 43:24Speaker 18

  I got you, okay. I have an available Northern Unit to 206 Ocala Boulevard, 206 Ocala Boulevard. We have EMS en route for an unknown problem. Further information, sounds like he is possibly under the influence.

• 43:39Mike Boudet?

  Jared called 911 for himself. He claimed he did drugs and now he didn't feel well. But then, he changed his mind and, then he changed it back. Even more bizarre, after he called 911, he called again.

• 43:55Speaker 19

  Well, we're trying to 911, what's your emergency?

• 43:58Speaker 04

  Yes, this is Jared.

• 44:00Speaker 19

  Hi, Mr. Jared, how can I help you?

• 44:02Speaker 04

  Um, yes, I'm at 206 Ocala Boulevard.

• 44:06Speaker 19

  Yes, sir, we have EMS en route to you. Are you okay? Did something change?

• 44:11Speaker 04

  Yes, ma'am, no, I'm not okay.

• 44:14Speaker 19

  Okay, what's going on?

• 44:17Speaker 04

  I, I just, I, I, I did some drugs yesterday and I don't feel well. And, I, I didn't do any drugs, I don't, I don't know, I'm sorry.

• 44:27Speaker 19

  That, that's okay, I have EMS en route to you.

• 44:30Speaker 04

  Okay, thank you.

• 44:31Speaker 19

  Yes, sir.

• 44:33Mike Boudet?

  He sounds confused, like a spun-out meth head. Regardless, the ambulance arrived and took him to the hospital. They ran various tests, including different types of drug tests. Then they said he was perfectly healthy.

• 44:49Speaker 08

  So, and everybody believed that he was on drugs because that's what he called 911 for. And he told them, just like, nothing, yeah, I'm doing that.

• 45:00Speaker 08

  So, of course, they did a urinalysis, Tombo Regional, Sunday, Monday morning, Sunday night, Monday morning. And then they released him, even after I told him, "He's hearing voices." He's, he's, he's, he's thinking that people are gonna hurt him. The reason he can't stay in this hospital is y'all are gonna kill him. And things like that. And the doctor questioned him about this stuff, and he told the doctor, "Yeah." And I told the doctor, "Please don't send him home. Let's send him somewhere." Instead, they referred him to a psychiatrist.

• 45:32Speaker 03

  So, I don't know if he's actually did some drugs. We didn't even get the results of his, um, blood test or urinalysis when he, I was at the hospital, so I don't know. I can't say that he wasn't, but I don't know that.

• 45:51Mike Boudet?

  Jared's parents didn't know what to do. He wasn't violent, he wasn't angry, but something was wrong. Something they couldn't quite put their finger on. They hoped the hospital would figure it out with all those fancy doctors and expensive equipment and whatnot. They hoped that someone, anyone, would see what they were seeing. But, that's not what happened. That's not the state of our medical system. So, you know what they did? They just sent him home, as they usually do. He was released the next morning with a clean bill of health. Days later, Angie was dead.

• 46:34Speaker 09

  I had him in the hospital two days ago. He was hearing voices. I told the doctor to keep him, and the doctor said, "You're falling."

• 46:45Mike Boudet?

  Was it drugs? Was it psychosis? Was it both? Or was it something else entirely?

• 47:13Mike Boudet?

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• 47:56Mike Boudet?

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• 48:27Speaker 12

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• 48:42Speaker 13

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• 48:53Speaker 12

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• 48:57Speaker 14

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• 49:04Speaker 12

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• 49:24Mike Boudet?

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• 50:25Mike Boudet?

  In the aftermath, the focus shifted. The horror of what happened to Angie Diaz was undeniable. But what no one could explain what haunted those left behind was what drove Jared to do it in the first place.

• 50:41Speaker 06

  You are Jared? Can you say it again? Okay. I don't know. So I keep calling you Jared and you don't know? I used to now. And then it was like somebody came in here.

• 50:53Mike Boudet?

  Jared didn't even recognize himself. "It was like someone came in here," he said, pointing to his own head.

• 51:00Speaker 06

  So it's my understanding you were just in the hospital? Is that right? Yes, and after that, it was weird.

• 51:10Mike Boudet?

  Jared said he went to the hospital after doing a substance.

• 51:15Speaker 06

  Mask, you said? Mm-hmm. Okay.

• 51:20Speaker 06

  Is that something you use a lot or you dabble in? No, I use it a lot. Okay. Until recently?

• 51:29Speaker 06

  When was the last time that you used meth?

• 51:34Speaker 03

  Oh, I did it, I did it, um, two weeks ago, I've been up for like two weeks.

• 51:41Speaker 06

  You've been up for two weeks? Okay. And then when you just went to the hospital, what, two days ago? You said it was for the substance?

• 51:49Speaker 03

  Mm-hmm, and after that, it's bad, wouldn't it?

• 51:53Speaker 06

  Have you used again since then?

• 51:58Speaker 06

  Okay. Meth, or was something different? When was the last time that you, that you remember?

• 52:06Speaker 06

  You don't remember when it was?

• 52:08Mike Boudet?

  Jared mumbled and shook his head to most of the questions. But when he did actually speak, it still didn't make any sense. He claimed that he had never touched meth in his life until that day. But then he said he'd been doing it for two weeks. The timeline was a little fuzzy.

• 52:27Speaker 06

  Jared, this is for you to decide how this goes. It's not a question, I already told you that. It's not a question that you did it in the manner in which you did it. But what matters is the why. What happened? You did it, you're on drugs, okay. But that didn't, that didn't tell us what happened in that room.

• 52:51Speaker 03

  What was going on?

• 52:54Speaker 03

  Just drugs, I need to stay away from drugs. Well, I understand that. So, you did it, and tell us what happened after you did it?

• 53:03Speaker 03

  Drugs just make you look crazy, it makes you lose sight, it makes you feel like you're stupid. Alright, so what did it make you do this morning, last night?

• 53:12Mike Boudet?

  Jared was blaming the whole thing on drugs. But he was reluctant to be specific about what he did, or why. Sometimes he would just stare back at the detectives, refusing to say a word. He would look as though he was about to cry, then return to a dazed and confused state.

• 53:31Speaker 03

  I just lost my way, I lost my way with God.

• 53:35Speaker 06

  That's clear. We're not asking for generalities, we're not asking about your personal relationship with God. Obviously, it's a struggle, it's a struggle for everybody, that's not a question. Nobody has a perfect relationship with him.

• 53:52Speaker 06

  But we're gonna ask you one last time what happened. And if you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine. But your opportunity to have any kind of looking like a good guy of, "This is what I did and I'm sorry and I can't believe I did it." That door is closing on you.

• 54:14Speaker 03

  Look, I didn't do it.

• 54:15Speaker 06

  You can't even keep this straight for anybody.

• 54:21Mike Boudet?

  This dude cracks a joke? It was hard to gauge where his head was at. Almost crying one moment, stoic the next. Then, making jokes.

• 54:32Speaker 03

  Um, created me?

• 54:38Speaker 03

  I was just up to it.

• 54:41Speaker 03

  So what did she say to make you mad to do that to her?

• 54:48Speaker 03

  She had to say something?

• 54:51Speaker 03

  To be that mad to do what you did?

• 54:55Speaker 03

  I don't know, something, something that controlled me. Okay, so it did, so it made you do what? Something on the screen. It was telling me. Telling me what to do. What did it tell you to do? It would say, "Like, stop time." "Everyone do something, it would stop." "Time would stop."

• 55:20Mike Boudet?

  Jared was speaking in broken sentences. It was hard to follow his train of thought, but he said that something took control of him. Something on the screen was telling him what to do. And it would stop time. He claimed he wasn't in control of himself.

• 55:38Speaker 03

  It was, I was being forced. Like, nothing I feel well. Okay, forced to do what? Forced to just walk, forced to go. Okay, what did it, what did it force you to do to her?

• 55:52Speaker 03

  What did it force you to do, you go ahead? It forced me. To what? To kill her.

• 55:58Speaker 03

  So how did you kill her? Tell us how you killed her.

• 56:02Speaker 03

  I don't know because it wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't Jerry. It wasn't Jerry. What did you do? What did you do? What did I do? Tell me, I saw. I turned her off. That's what it did.

• 56:18Speaker 03

  And made you cut her head off?

• 56:20Mike Boudet?

  He tried to explain that when he got home, Angie turned on the TV. That's when he started hearing commands. Time stood still. And the screen was filled with numbers. A voice told him what to do. And if he didn't listen, it would make him hurt. But after getting all of that off his chest, he started answering questions.

• 56:44Speaker 06

  How did the fight start? How did the knife get introduced? How, walk us through that.

• 56:49Speaker 03

  We got into the fight, she grabbed the knife.

• 56:54Speaker 03

  We were just talking, who are we in? She turned on the, the TV.

• 57:00Speaker 03

  That's when that started. Why did you tell her? I don't know. Didn't you shut up? You told me to rape her.

• 57:10Speaker 03

  You told me to rape her.

• 57:13Mike Boudet?

  It was unclear if he did rape Angie. She was found fully clothed with no defensive wounds. There wasn't even a single sign of a violent struggle, which is disturbing in and of itself.

• 57:27Speaker 06

  Why did you put her head in the bathtub?

• 57:30Speaker 03

  She told me to.

• 57:34Speaker 06

  Her hair was wet, how come?

• 57:38Speaker 06

  Did you turn the shower on?

• 57:40Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 57:42Speaker 06

  To wash herself, or to wash her hair, or what?

• 57:44Speaker 03

  To wash.

• 57:46Speaker 06

  Did you have plans on hurting your mom or your dad when you went over to their house?

• 57:52Speaker 06

  There were no voices that told you to have them?

• 57:55Speaker 07

  No voices that told me that.

• 57:59Speaker 06

  To shoot yourself?

• 58:01Mike Boudet?

  Jared's explanation did little to actually tell us why he did what he did. He contradicted his own account. He said drugs were involved, but he was also hearing voices. The only thing we know was true is that he cut her head off and put it in the bathtub to wash her hair. And she didn't fight back because he probably took her by surprise. But after talking to Angie's family, friends, and coworkers, the police had a theory.

• 58:32Speaker 07

  Do you know why he did it? Do you know anything?

• 58:35Speaker 06

  Right now, it's just a theory. When I told you about theories, they could be wrong. But, um, but from what we're gathering, it was possibly a combination of him being on drugs and his therapy.

• 58:52Mike Boudet?

  Friends of Angie's said her normally upbeat attitude changed shortly after she got married to Jared. When asked, she said he had changed. She was clearly having second thoughts. But this theory all hinged on drug use. And to be fair, Jared was high as a kite during his interrogation. In his intake photos, his pupils are the size of saucers. But that's where it gets weird. When the police checked his toxicology report from the hospital stay two days before the crime, when he called 911 claiming meth use, it was completely clean. There were no drugs in his system whatsoever.

• 59:35Mike Boudet?

  If he did drugs the night before, it would have shown up. While the drug test the police conducted after his arrest showed drugs in his system, it wasn't meth, it was cocaine. He didn't even know the difference, I guess. And it wasn't a lot, not enough to cause psychosis, that's for sure. So maybe the drugs didn't cause what happened. Maybe it just unleashed what was already in his brain. So, an alternative theory is that Jared was unraveling mentally long before he ever tried drugs. He lost his best friend, the layoff, the failed side hustle, the DWI.

• 1:00:17Mike Boudet?

  It all compounded, weighing on him at a time when he just wanted to be able to provide for his new wife and seemed to be failing at it. Meanwhile, she was living the dream. She had a job, she had friends, and was pursuing her goal of being a fitness trainer. She was succeeding while Jared was failing. Maybe there was some jealousy involved. Maybe he was jealous of Angie. But that didn't matter. Jared pleaded guilty. There would be no trial, there would be no courtroom drama, no chance to explain what really happened, and no chance to be evaluated for mental illness. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

• 1:01:01Mike Boudet?

  He'll be eligible for parole when he's 65.

• 1:01:05Speaker 20

  The family of a young woman found decapitated inside her Waller County home is planning a vigil for her this weekend.

• 1:01:12Speaker 21

  The person accused of killing her is her own husband, Jared Dykes.

• 1:01:16Speaker 03

  And that's what I tell the people on the radio, it's fine. She didn't deserve that. Nobody ever did. Nobody deserves it.

• 1:01:22Mike Boudet?

  And friends of the woman found decapitated inside her Waller County home held a vigil in her honor tonight.

• 1:01:28Speaker 03

  I mean, I'm sure she came here for a better life. I mean, they met, they got married, and I just don't know what happened. It's been a long time.

• 1:01:39Speaker 08

  She didn't deserve to be taken away like this.

• 1:01:45Mike Boudet?

  Angie Diaz came to this country in search of a better life. She found it. She found family, she found friends, and she found love. She was chasing something bigger than herself. Maybe Jared wanted that too, but somehow, he lost himself along the way. Slowly, quietly, secretly, until...

• 1:02:15Mike Boudet?

  It was too late.

• 1:03:45Mike Boudet?

  I'd better see my Shopify light up with dozens of orders after this. I ain't even kidding. You guys are annoying as fuck. If I'm gonna deal with you, you better start buying some t-shirts. I'm gonna start holding this shit hostage. Go buy a shirt!

• 1:04:32Speaker 15

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