Man Strangled Wife To Death After Fight, Burned Her Body

A Texas man admitted to strangling his wife and burning her body with charcoal. Jay Hammersley, 44, was in a court in Houston Thursday listening to the graphic allegations against him.

"He placed her body in the shed out back for two days, before buying over 100 pounds of charcoal and attempting to cremate her body. The defendant claimed he did a good job and reduced her to ashes," a prosecutor told the court.

According to court records, Hammersley killed his wife, Mara Vestal, at their Katy home on Feb. 16 after a fight that started at a strip club. Days later, he reported her missing and a friend, to whom Hammersley allegedly confessed, turned him in recently.

Hammersley told Harris County Sheriff's Office investigators he moved the woman's remains from their backyard shed to a dumpster at his current workplace in Cypress. Deputies spent a couple of hours searching but her remains were not found. The couple has three children, including a toddler.

According to authorities, he not only confided in his friend Robert about the murder but also asked him to help dispose of the body.

“He told me he just murdered somebody,” Robert said. “He told me he just murdered his wife. That was obviously pretty shocking.” After learning about the crime, Robert told Hammersley to call the police but when he refused, his friend decided to turn him in.

“Never in a million years would I think he’d be capable of killing his wife,” Robert said.

Neighbors told WMC5 media that law enforcement officers went through trash bags at the home.

“It’s sad. I mean, I just don’t know what to think,” neighbor Kruti Patel said. “I just never thought that anything like that would happen here, because there’s, you know, kids and it’s more family-oriented.”

Hammersley was charged with murder and tampering evidence. His total bond was set at $105,000 and the killer remained in jail ahead of his court appearance Friday.

Meanwhile, Hammersley was also facing accusations that he stole thousands of dollars from his blind former business partner, William "David" Brooks. The lawsuit against Hammersley was filed in July 2018 in which Brooks claimed his former partner stole more than $300,000 from their business.