On Tuesday, September 26, a young Texas man was arrested after confessing to a horrific act of violence against a high school student.
The incident took place in Tyler, Texas. Jamaurea Jermaine Britton, 19, was apprehended and charged with the murder of 18-year-old Dejah Hood, a student at John Tyler High School.
Reports indicate that Hood had been with a group of friends, including Britton, on the preceding Monday evening. Concerns were raised when she failed to return home and did not respond to calls and texts.
Upon officers’ arrival at Britton’s apartment for questioning on Tuesday around 1 pm, they noticed traces of blood. A more thorough investigation led them to uncover the teenager’s body hidden and wrapped in trash bags, tape, and a bedsheet in a creek bed behind the Hollytree Apartments complex.
A detailed arrest warrant affidavit outlined the events leading to the tragic death of the young woman. Britton recounted that he picked up Hood and a one-year-old baby whom she was babysitting to help him pack for a move. While at his residence, Britton, who was brooding over a recent breakup, became progressively irritated. An innocent action by Hood – playfully tugging at his ear, reminiscent of his ex-girlfriend’s habit – triggered a violent reaction. He assaulted Hood, hitting her with a glass bottle, punching and strangling her and then using a hammer. The attack was so aggressive that it broke the wooden handle of the hammer. He then tried to commit suicide with first, a knife, and then a gun
During this incident, a neighbor, alerted by the noise, knocked on Britton’s door. After concealing Hood’s body, Britton managed to allay the neighbor’s fears. Britton then attended to the one-year-old child, who had been watching a movie on his bed, and returned the baby to Hood’s mother’s house. After returning to his apartment, Britton claimed that he heard Hood’s voice. Realizing she was alive, he proceeded to stab her multiple times. The body was later removed from the apartment around 3 AM, discarded over a fence, and eventually concealed with leaves.
The affidavit also claims that Britton has been arrested and charged not only with murder but also terroristic threat to a family/household. He is currently detained in Smith County Jail with bail set at $1.05 million.