Jackie Vandergriff, a 24-year-old student at Texas Women's University, was murdered in September 2016 in Great Vine, Texas, after being taken by Charles Bryant, a man with a history of stalking and prior arrests. Security footage, cell phone data, and physical evidence—including DNA, fingerprints, and a blood-stained knife—linked Bryant directly to the crime. The body was found in a burned blue plastic kitty pool in his backyard, with signs of post-mortem mutilation. Bryant’s criminal history, including a protective order violation and prior stalking charges, raised red flags. Forensic analysis revealed that his DNA was present throughout the scene, and searches of his home uncovered a violent pattern of premeditated intent, including searches for how to remove a human heart and create art from organs. Additionally, hundreds of images of child pornography were found on his computer, indicating a long-standing history of violent and aberrant behavior. Though Bryant claimed memory loss and emotional denial, detectives and experts concluded his actions were deliberate and premeditated. He eventually admitted guilt, stating “it’s totally me,” and was convicted of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, receiving a life sentence with an additional 20 years. The case underscores how a combination of personal history, digital evidence, and psychological profiling led to a conviction, revealing that the crime was not a spontaneous act but a calculated and deeply disturbing pattern of violence.
It was just another Tuesday night in Denton Texas. Some 55,000 students had returned to the campuses of the University of North Texas and the Texas Women's University over the last three weeks. And those students were doing what students do. They were going out, meeting people, and hooking up. Jackie Vandergriff was one of those young people, a 24-year-old woman who had just begun turning her life around. A woman who had no way of knowing that she had definitely taken a wrong turn that night. Join us as we look into the horrifying case of the murder of Jackie Vandergriff and the investigation that would bring her killer to justice and probably kept another murder from happening. He's found dead in a pool that came from your backyard. You killed her. It's me. It's totally me. There's no doubt about it, but I was going to go forward with it. If you remember this whole thing in your psychopath serial killer and you dream about this shit, you knew it all the time and then you should just shut up and tell me leave. Jackie had taken a bit of time to find traction in her life but had just recently decided to go to college seeking a degree in nutrition. She had enrolled in Texas Women's University, a school known for its healthcare curriculum and moved into a housing unit that she was sharing with three other students. Let's let her tell us in her words a little bit about herself. This video was one she had created for an assignment in one of her classes and it tells volumes about the lively, petite and hopeful young woman. Hello everyone. My name is Jacqueline Vandergriff but friends call me Jackie. I am originally from the colony Texas but I moved to Frisco when I was in elementary school and I graduated from Wakeland High School. I am currently a junior here at Texas Women's University and my major is nutrition with an emphasis in wellness. I chose this major because I realized while working as an expedition, which is skincare if you're not familiar, I realized the importance of nutrition and just overall health and decided that this is what I was going to study. As far as my career aspirations go, right now I'm most interested in corporate wellness. I think more and more companies are starting to recognize the need to provide health resources for their employees so I think right now that's where I'm wanting to go with my career. In this class I hope to learn more about how to use the resources available to reach different individuals and to communicate effectively with the amount of diversity that we have in our community as well as just building on my overall communication skills. She and her roommates were still just acquaintances at this stage and the young woman had driven back home every weekend to stay with her parents. But on this Tuesday night, September 13th 2016, she decided to go out and try to meet some new people. She left on her own, walking to the nearby downtown scene in the area with numerous restaurants and bars catering to the massive number of students and young people in the area. She had had a boyfriend not too long ago but the two had broken up amicably. Phone records show that he had texted back and forth with her for a couple of weeks prior, but otherwise she was single and wasn't against finding some new companionship. Now that we've looked into her life a bit, we need to move forward to the morning of September 14th 2016. A man is taking his regular morning walk just before dawn at the Acorn Woods in Great Vine, Texas when he sees a fire erupt not far from the parking area. The trees and brush obscured his view and he couldn't make out exactly what had happened. He made his way to the area just in time to see a fire blazing heavily near the wood line and a silver or gray SUV pulling out of the parking lot. In just a few moments, he had flagged down two parks and recreation employees who were driving by in their work truck. Brock Howard and Mark Lockwood sprang from their truck and grabbed a five gallon bucket of water from the bed of their truck. They had been using the water to clean paint brushes, but it did the trick in putting out the very contained fire. What they found, what's the flames were out, caused them to call 911. Great Vine Police Department Patrolman Oscar Ramirez was the first on the scene followed quickly by Great Vine Fire Chief Darrell Brown, who happened to be returning from another call in the vicinity. On the ground were the still smoking remains of a blue plastic kitty pool partially burned up and also a partially destroyed and dismembered human body. They couldn't tell if the body was male or female at first just that it was small. Additional resources were immediately called in and the local crime lab was brought into the scene as well. Officer Ramirez sealed off the scene and additional resources were brought to bear. The Texas Rangers were called in and the FBI forensic team was also dispatched to the area. Officers began questioning anyone in the park area if they had seen anyone and any nearby security cameras were checked for footage. We reached out them just strictly for their resources and their evidence removal capability. So that's why they're assisting us with this investigation. While the body had been burned beyond onsite recognition, some things were readily apparent. According to the reports from the officers on the scene, the arms had been severed at the elbows and the legs had been cut off around the knee. Those parts had been placed in plastic trash bags and placed on top of the torso in the kitty pool. The head had also been removed and placed in a plastic bag that had been tucked into the corpse's armpit. The torso cavity had also been cut open and the internal organs were visible. The body was taken immediately for autopsy accompanied by Texas Ranger Trace McDonald and detectives from the great Vine Police Department. The autopsy was performed by Dr. Tasha Greenberg of the Tarant County Medical Examiner's office. Detectives remarked during the autopsy that the body still smelled strongly of gasoline, probably because the fire had been extinguished before it had a chance to consume all of the accelerants. The quick dowsing of the fire also partially preserved some of the victim's clothing, including blue jeans and a gray t-shirt that read Texas Women's University. One hand of the victim had been charred completely, but the other had suffered less damage, still showing paint on the fingernails and most importantly, providing an opportunity for the crime lab to obtain partial fingerprints to run through their system in hopes of finding a match. The head had been burned very severely, making visual identification nearly impossible. While they waited for the prince to be run, the medical examiner was able to determine that the victim was an adult female, just under five feet tall and probably weighing less than 100 pounds. Examination of the torso cavity also showed that the victim's heart had been removed sometime shortly after death. There were no outward signs of exactly how the young woman had been killed. The wound to the torso, the severed limbs, and the decapitation all appeared to have happened post-mortem. By 2.30 p.m. that day, the prince had been matched to Jacqueline Ray Vandegriff, a 24-year-old student from Texas Women's University. Detectives were dispatched to her apartment to check for any clues about her disappearance. There, they interviewed her three roommates and found out that the young woman had been devoted to her schoolwork and had been in any romantic relationships since she had moved in. The last time any of them had seen her in person was two nights before her body was found. Her room was searched and nothing out of the ordinary was found, her Mazda was still parked in the housing unit's parking lot. It hadn't been moved in a few days and within were a couple of purses, each with cash and credit cards within. The vehicle was towed to the police department for additional testing by the forensic professionals. More police were sent to meet with her family in nearby Argyle, Texas to see if they could shed any light on the young woman, her habits or relationships. They were able to provide her cell phone number and service carrier. No phone had been found with the body. Police investigators were able to see who she had been most recently in contact with. The first was to a her old boyfriend, whom she had broken up with months before. The two had talked recently. He was quickly ruled out as a suspect as he had not been anywhere near grapevine, Texas and his alibi checked out. The second number was just a simple text from a woman named Sherry Boge. Sherry turned out to be a vital piece in putting together what happened to Jackie Vandergriff. She told police that she and two other friends had gone out on the night of September 13th. They had gone to the Frey Street public house a local bar while on a night out, sometime between 9.15 and 9.30 p.m. Jackie had been sitting at the bar with a bald man in his late 20s, very fit and tan, talking with the bartender. Sherry and Jackie had struck up a conversation and had exchanged phone numbers. Sherry and her friends then decided to move on down the street to another bar, shots and craft. A few minutes later, Jackie and the man showed up at the bar and came over to the group of young women. Sherry said that Jackie spoke to her quite a bit and the man kept trying to interject himself into the conversation. Eventually,
Sherry and her group moved on and she had not heard from Jackie since. Detectives went to both bars to retrieve any security camera videos they might have from that night. Police also checked a few doors down from the bars at the Crooked Crust, a local pizza parlor that had surveillance cameras outside viewing the parking lot. Detective Sergeant Mark Schimmick was dispatched to the Frey Street public house and met with Bartender Katie Allen, who not only remembered Jackie, but knew the man. She said that she had known him for a little while and had gone out with him a couple of times, but had not developed a relationship with him. She said that he had been going through a bad breakup and had some issues. Video from the pizza parlor would show the man coming in earlier in the afternoon, purchasing a quarter of a pizza, having a soda at the place and then heading out, pizza box and hand. Outside cameras would show him headed off down the street where he took the pizza to share with Katie Allen at the public house. His vehicle visible in the upper right portion of the Crooked Crust surveillance video. In the evening, security video outside, you can see Charles' silver Mitsubishi Outlander SUV do a quick U-turn and then parallel park along the street opposite from the Frey Street public house. The silver Mitsubishi seems to match the eyewitness description from the fire at Acorn Woods in the morning that the murder was discovered. At nearly 5.57 pm, Charles gets out of his car and walks back across the street and goes into the public house. It's less than three minutes later that Jackie walks across the street and enters the public house. She would meet Charles shortly thereafter, completely unaware of what fate awaits her. Outside it had begun to rain and Jackie had walked to the bar from her apartment, the man who she met in the public house and who had accompanied her to shots and craft kindly offers to give her a ride home. Perhaps a romantic spark had been kindled in her during the short time they had been together. The two walk back across the street and climb into his car, it's 8.47 pm. The two stay in the car for 20 more minutes, doing who knows what, and then they drive off into the night. Missing the area for more security footage guided somewhat by the pings from the nearby cell towers that her phone left, they were able to track the movements to a 7/11 on Oak Street in Denton, Texas, Jackie remained in the car while Charles went inside. Inside, Charles heads to the bathroom, then quickly grabs two canned alcoholic beverages along with a steak and cheese sandwich. Cell tower pings then place her phone as heading through Fort Worth, Texas and the final one was at 1.32 am from a tower on Blue Mountain Road in Haslet, Texas. According to the data it provided, the cell phone was somewhere within a north easterly asmeth of the tower when the phone stopped communicating. Charles's home was located three miles to the north northeast of that particular tower. Charles Bryant was not a complete unknown to police in the area. Twice before, in the city of grapevine, Charles had been arrested for possession of marijuana and forgery. He had also had a misdemeanor assault charge in Washington state a few years before. Most important though was that he was currently the subject of a protective order sworn out by an old girlfriend in nearby Denton because he had been stalking her and campus police at North Texas University were currently looking for him because he had violated that protective order. Charles had dated a petite 18-year-old woman for about 3 months before she broke off the relationship with him. He didn't take the relationship break up well and continued to pursue a relationship with her and in the end to just pursue her, leading to an arrest on September 6th of 2016 and removal from the north Texas campus where she went to school. A protective order would be issued against him in an attempt to prevent him from stalking her. It did not work. He would return in just a few days, showing up at her dorm with flowers in hand, asking her to take him back. He would leave that campus that day before police arrived but a warrant was put out for his arrest should he show up on campus again. Members of the local drug task force were dispatched to watch 1-4-0-1-7 Sandhill's Drive in Hessellot, Texas, a four-bedroom home that Charles shared with two roommates. In the meantime, an arrest warrant for Charles Bryant was sworn out on the violation of the protective order. This would allow them to take him into custody. In the meantime, search warrants were requested for his house, car and cell phone. They knew they had their man, but they needed physical evidence. Charles would emerge from his home, get into his car and begin to drive away within a block he had been pulled over, removed from his car, cuffed and sat on the curb. This car was towed and impounded to be searched for evidence, initially dealing with the stalking charges, but in short order for evidence in the murder case of Jackie Vandergriff. Inside, they found a 22-calibre 6-hour mosquito pistol and a stun gun hidden under the front console. The stun gun still had a single, long blonde hair tangled up in it. A further search of the car turned up a number of zip ties that matched ones found at the scene of the burning and a number of blue plastic flakes consistent with the remnants of a burned kitty pool. Numerous blonde hairs and blood stains in the Bat Cargo area were also discovered. In addition, they found clothes that he had been wearing on the night of Jackie's disappearance. Warrants were obtained for the home and his roommates who came home during his arrest. They cooperated fully with the investigation. Inside the house were found four large plastic kitty pools in two of the spare bedrooms, each being used as a small-scale marijuana growing operation. Out in the backyard, a blue kitty pool, matching the one at the burn site was found, set up for Charles's dogs to splash it. There was also a circular spot in the grass nearby where another kitty pool had recently been placed. Detectives would later use satellite images to view the backyard from above and were able to determine that in the past there had been two matching pools in the yard, each blue with distinctive cartoon fish on them. In the trash can, they found a bag containing a black satchel, matching the one that Jackie had been carrying that night emblazoned with the Texas Women's University logo on it. Another zip tie flexicuff was found at the trash as well with blonde hairs caught up in it. The closet in Charles's bedroom, a large k-bar type military knife was found along with a small red plastic gas can. The knife would later test positive for blood, and security cam footage from a gas station would show a nervous Charles filling up the can in the wee hours of the morning just before the reported fire at Acorn Woods. A receipt in his room would also show that Charles had gone to a nearby Walmart that morning around 4.45 a.m. and purchased a shovel. The backyard behind the home showed that he had apparently attempted to dig a hole there that morning, either to bury or burn Jackie's body on the premises. His roommates said that he told them he had decided to put in a coy pond. It looked like an open and shut case for the local police and Texas Rangers. Charles was brought in and interviewed by two detectives and a sergeant. They laid out the evidence they had, and Charles never tries to refute it. He just maintained that he didn't remember doing it. "It had it in me, obviously it all points to me. I can't recall that. I don't know why I would. Someone I don't know even." "But the thing about it is, is having the conversation with you and everyone's dead. I get it." "Yeah." "And the thing behind it." "So it's a case like, why in the world?" "Charlie, all of a sudden it's great." "Thanks, man." "I'm sergeant anyway. We haven't met." "I feel like I know you, though, because I've been watching the goings on or whatnot." I keep hearing you say, "You don't know what's going on. You don't remember. You don't miss. You don't that." "Come on, man." "We've laid it out for you." "Okay." "It's there." "We have a great vibe." "We're over there at your house. We have a video of you with this girl." "Sure, man." Get the bar, her cell phone goes to your house. You're walking around Walmart at four o'clock in the morning, buying a shovel. I'm sorry. She's found dead in a pool that came from your backyard, okay? You can't tell me. You can't tell me you don't remember. "I don't know why." "Come on, man." "I'm giving you that." "You are there." "Obviously." You did all these things and there is no way in the world that a man can travel all the way from Haslet to Greatvine, from Denton to Haslet to Greatvine and not remember. Stand up and man up and tell us what you did for this girl's family. "I'm admitting to it. I can't remember killing anyone, man." "You've got to." "There's no way." "You remember all the big things in your life, okay, very few or bigger than taking another human life." "Yeah, it's pretty dressing." "I know it's in there."
okay? I know you've got it in you. Talk to me. Tell me the bus I want to have I'm gonna wreck in my brain. There's no way man. There's no way in the world that you do not remember this. There's no way we'll go. I don't even remember taking her home. She went to your house. Yeah I don't remember taking her to my place man. I don't. I thought I went home by myself. And you killed her. You killed her. And then you didn't just leave her there. You drove her to grapevine. Tell me you don't remember that. Putting her in the car. Come on. You were at the bar with her in Denton. Y'all drove to your house. You killed her. And you don't remember any of that? I don't know how I could kill someone man. I don't know. It's like it's not me. But obviously it is me. It's like I just out of all those things that I've told you there. How does that possible that you don't remember? I don't think I was a drunk. I really don't. It's not about being drunk Charles. These people killed people when they're drunk because they drive down the road and they they they hit them. Okay? They don't murder them and then take them to another place. Look at me, man. They don't. I've been doing this for 25 years. Okay? I've heard a lot of blackout stories. I've seen a lot of blackout stories. This is not a blackout story. And the fact that you can't look me in the eyes. I don't remember man. I don't. It's down in there. And it's weighing on you. It's dragging you down. I know. And you would at least feel better. Telling you something. I don't know. Telling me the truth. You know, man. You do know, Charles. There's no way you could not know. They had their man but what they did not have from him was him actually saying that he committed the crime. They needed him not just to admit that the evidence looked strong but to actually tell them how and why he did the crime. The Texas Rangers sent in Jim Holland, their expert at interviewing suspect, particularly those involved in murders. He first worked to establish a rapport with Charles, sharing some anecdotes about fitness and the dating scene. So I'm kind of ego-centric. So let me talk about me. Is that all right? If you don't mind, maybe I don't try and maybe it just happens. I don't know. And the nice thing about my job is when I get an assignment, everyone kind of bends over for me. So if I need something from the lab, you know, let's say another ranger is trying to get something run to the lab and they say, "Hey, it's going to be a month." Well, I can call up and say, "Yeah, I need that." I mean, I got people popping out of bed and everything like that. And that's a good thing about working directly for the governor. The bad thing is you get phone calls all the time. You get flown all over the place and you know, he expects results. So I'll bust eight u-sit guys. I'm the senior one. So I get all the big phone calls. But it's an interesting gig. I'm never bored or anything like that. Now, let's let Charles give his side of the story. And we kind of parted ways, but we were in another bar drinking and I tapped out a pair of of the shoes with me and came back to my place. I don't remember having home with her, which is insane. But yeah, just like I got a text like the following day. It's like, "Really? Just found out yesterday." It's like, "Let's go year. Or let's expect that." And she's dead. I don't know. That's what I'm saying. But one of my clients, she text me. She's like, "Oh, there's a body found." And it's like pretty violent. I'm just like, "We're close to that area. I don't know if that's what I'm saying." And I was like, "Oh, let's just paint somewhere else. The following day because we're supposed to have a train out of Friday morning." But yeah, it was out of me. And it's just not. It's like, "I don't even know this guy. It's like I don't remember a name." And it's just, it's blown my mind. It's about a character for me. I'm not an angry guy. I'm not aggressive. It's, I don't know. I've been trying to think over it last night and I just don't remember meeting with her. It's like, I don't remember. She's, this is tiny little thing I counted on that. So in summer, for NK, she's a bartender. We're drinking there. I've been there pretty much all day because I was going through some crap with my ex. And I called her lower and blah, blah, blah. And I just want to go drink with Katie. But I don't think it was that drunk. I remember going home. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. But I'm taking inside all the things on me. It's like, I'm just, I can't, I can't remember doing it. But it's me. It's totally me. There's no doubt about it. But I just want to go forward with it. I don't know where we go. It's Jail. I'm fine with that. I'm one of the detective gestures saying that Texas has a death penalty. I'm like, all right, I agree. I think I'm going to die in jail. But I can't, I can't fight it. It's obviously me. I just, I mean, we're doing anything. Because they give me time frames. And I was like, I hope it would be like nine. I just felt like really groggy and tired. I thought it was just over. But yeah, here, here, here, here. I'm like out of the talk. But Charles's story of blacking out will not help settle the case. So Ranger Holland explained that he is going to work through this with him. Most cases of psychotic blackouts leave memories intact. But they don't re-emerge until up to 72 hours after the incident. Oftentimes peace by peace seemingly unrelated at first. Charles goes along with this and eventually opens up after hours of discussion. I kept drinking. We all even done like nine something. Just gave you that leave. Just get split up because I thought I wanted to do another bar. You did. You want to do a second bar? Yeah, not that one. So I thought I wanted that one and the guy in there. He's a bartender. Yeah, the bartender in there said you were in there tracking the chick, huh? I never showed any pictures yesterday in there in the same time. I'm going to be able to do my card. I don't know what would be good. I'm glad I couldn't kill someone. I don't know. I don't know how that would escalate. So there's a zip tie. I had an air on it. What do you know when it gets you? All right. So this is the swimming pool that's missing from your backyard, right? It didn't burn out all the way in the edges curled over. So your DNA is all over. Fingerprints DNA and everything in the backside of the body. Same thing. I mean there's DNA on it. The underside of the swimming pool. There's DNA. There's fingerprints. There's a dog here that's going to end up matching. I think you're dogs. You know, you get the knife with that test isn't back yet, but the knife that's in your closet is going to come back with her blood on it. The reason that they found out right away is it wasn't burned up all the way. So they were able to get finger nails or I'm sorry. Fingerprints is called the AFIS automatic finger printing information system. So they can basically the more rolls or fingerprints because they're not off there. And then that's how we identify ourselves. And underneath her nail she's got some skin. It's going to come back. We believe to you. They just got their stuff. Your DNA yesterday. And then I started doing this walk. Yeah, yeah. I started pushing that. It was going to be 30 days and I started pushing that last night. So the stuff starts coming back and that's some of those taxed. It's
I ask them to to update me as we go through so I know definitive things I can already tell you what you know what's gonna be there But the the sweating pool the you know your DNA on our body or what's gonna end up being your your dog's hairs and in the the pool on Honor clothes. I mean the but your roommates got you out there at 4 a.m. Dig in a hole in the in the backyard And see if I got a picture of the Swimming pool where you dug a hole You dig in a hole basically where that swimming pool was and you said you're putting in a key key pond You remember that conversation thing Corpon. Corpon. Yeah, you remember telling that you were putting in a coin pond at 4 a.m. Dig a hole for like I saw a shell next to me and like Your DNA is all over one of them had a they found a partial or a full Fingerprint. See them as I'm getting these back. These are all my tests coming in DNA positive positive And in this part that has the rolled up on it You know, this is where her body's found inside this but you'll see that that nice protection the heat rolled over the edges And your DNA and your fingerprints are So A bag, you know some of this stuff was wrapped in a bag, but the bag didn't burn well mitochondrial DNA is on there I mean between wise to our full range DNA and mitochondrial DNA. I mean you're you're all over it and then And you can see that that's what we have pictures of I won't say this next one because it's disgusting, but her mouth is not burning You know, so there's we've got What's called YSTR, but it's a male strand of DNA on her tongue. So that's gonna, you know I'm sure that's gonna come back to you and I can show you that if you want to see it's kind of disgusting picture Okay, and then this You know in addition to all the video of you leaving together, you know still one more. So I Mean it's all there You know, what's great vine huh? And what is great vine want to do I mean well kind of they they want to be done you know and they reached out because they have something that they're not Blood on knife matches victims blood. That's what was recovered from your closet. So I mean all this comes true, but you know, I think they're happy to walk away, you know because they've got you and They don't miss it. They've already made their case But I'm a little bit different because I I study people You know and and I try to to me unless you know every answer Then you don't know what happened all right The benefit of that to you is Maybe these answers can help you, you know, I'll be honest with you if Well, but I'll be honest with you. You know if you remember this whole thing in your psychopath serial killer and you dream about this shit You do it all the time and then you should just shut up and tell me leave I mean that you don't want to talk to me anymore Ranger Holland then ties back to the stalking situation drawing a connection One that you can see Charles is putting together in his own head You ever broke up with the girl. Let me ask you this you ever been stalked. Yeah, man Okay, but and how does that happen? Is that from a girl that broke up with you to shoot her around and stalk you? So who stalks you? It's the girl that you kicked in the curve, right? Why because they can't take rejection? All right Well some of that so you know again, we talk about the psychosis where you slip into someone else We don't need to concentrate so much on cutting up bodies and lighting things on fire all right Because that's the part where you just you're in the military Right, you're in mission. You're in survival mode bad shit happened now you need to suck it up and get through it All right, and that's just SOP of your mindset I mean you're a guy who goes in a gym who's supposed to do 10 reps instead you do 12 or 15 right you're you're going beyond and above But you're one who finishes a workout you get done with things you got a cramp you got Your thirsty your hungover you're gonna tough it out and get through it and this is one of those deals where shit goes bad and Now you're missionary did now I gotta get past that that that's the you know, I call it a to G right which is Meeting her and things happening and then you have this middle zone this G where shit goes bad All right, and then you have this you know J through Z or whatever you want to call it Probably don't know my health But you've got that which is this after action report, which is you know, you go nuts and now you need to get rid of things I'm not so worried about that. I mean that's explained by You know someone who freaks out, you know, that's obviously not in nature. That's easy to deal with You know, what I'm concerned about is that what's the you know, what's the red button issue? What's what sends this out? Actually, it's like came across from a crazy bitch, but it's like I've never Acquited on anything like that. So well, and you say something that's interesting. What's the chance that you That you have this chick and you know, you're so fucked up junk. You start picture. And Caitlin's crazy as you know I mean, there's something called Repression, you know, or basically you're seeing someone in someone else's body You know, do you see all right forget about this girl who's dead? A couple nights ago, do you see Caitlin with you? You know, is there a chance that that you That doesn't make a difference physically. It's what's your mental mindset? How screwed up are you for you, Caitlin man? So you got arrested on this deal. Yeah, what was that for? The nice that's classic right there. That's cool So you've got some serious issues with Caitlin going on and I mean, that's pretty cold of her Let's turn the pass it. I've been up you know, since But you understand what I'm doing. I'm trying to figure this out. What's the chances? Do you see yourself with Caitlin a couple nights ago? Is this a repression thing or you know, your mind is I don't know how I'll go about it And to play with hair on it You know, obviously the pool comes back to your house. Yeah, obviously because of the blood and everything else. The you know, she's been in your vehicle You got the bloodied up cable or knife Charles would end up standing trial for the murder of Jacqueline Ray Vandergriff He would be found guilty of first degree murder and be given a life sentence with an additional 20 years for tampering with evidence In a search conducted by law enforcement of his home computer It was shown that he had made inquiries how to remove a person's heart How much from aldehyde would it take to preserve a human heart and how to use clear Residant to make an art piece all of the searches were made before he had even met Jackie Perhaps he had been planning to do something horrible to his stalking victim We might never know even more disturbing considering the small size and young age of both women involved Was that hundreds of pieces of child pornography were found on Charles's computer He would also be charged and convicted with a class three felony for possession of such materials Charles had been a monster in the making long before he crossed Pats one fateful September night with Jackie Vandergriff Had he killed her in a fit of passion or as the target of opportunity Was she just a surrogate for another person that he wanted to kill instead?
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
Jackie Vandergriff, a 24-year-old nutrition student at Texas Women's University, was murdered in September 2016 after being taken to a remote area in Great Vine, Texas, where her body was found in a burned blue plastic kitty pool.
The victim’s body showed signs of post-mortem mutilation, including severed limbs, decapitation, and removal of the heart, with evidence linking the crime scene to Charles Bryant’s backyard and vehicle.
Charles Bryant, a man with prior criminal history and a protective order violation due to stalking, was identified as the suspect through cell phone tracking, security footage, and physical evidence such as DNA, hair, zip ties, and a murder weapon in his possession.
Despite claiming memory loss and blackouts, forensic analysis confirmed Charles’s DNA and fingerprints at the crime scene, and a knife in his closet tested positive for the victim’s blood.
A key piece of evidence was a search of Charles’s computer showing prior inquiries about removing a human heart and creating art from body parts, suggesting premeditation.
Additionally, hundreds of child pornography images were found on his devices, indicating a history of serious mental and behavioral issues.
Charles admitted to the crime in a coerced, emotionally manipulated interview, stating he “had it in him” and acknowledged guilt, though he could not recall specific details.
He was convicted of first-degree murder and faced a life sentence with an additional 20 years for evidence tampering, highlighting a pattern of violent, premeditated behavior.
Summary:
Jackie Vandergriff, a 24-year-old student at Texas Women's University, was murdered in September 2016 in Great Vine, Texas, after being taken by Charles Bryant, a man with a history of stalking and prior arrests. Security footage, cell phone data, and physical evidence—including DNA, fingerprints, and a blood-stained knife—linked Bryant directly to the crime. The body was found in a burned blue plastic kitty pool in his backyard, with signs of post-mortem mutilation.
Bryant’s criminal history, including a protective order violation and prior stalking charges, raised red flags. Forensic analysis revealed that his DNA was present throughout the scene, and searches of his home uncovered a violent pattern of premeditated intent, including searches for how to remove a human heart and create art from organs. Additionally, hundreds of images of child pornography were found on his computer, indicating a long-standing history of violent and aberrant behavior.
Though Bryant claimed memory loss and emotional denial, detectives and experts concluded his actions were deliberate and premeditated. He eventually admitted guilt, stating “it’s totally me,” and was convicted of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, receiving a life sentence with an additional 20 years. The case underscores how a combination of personal history, digital evidence, and psychological profiling led to a conviction, revealing that the crime was not a spontaneous act but a calculated and deeply disturbing pattern of violence.
FAQs
Jackie Vandergriff was a 24-year-old student at Texas Women's University majoring in nutrition with an emphasis in wellness. She was known for her active lifestyle and interest in health and wellness, and she had recently moved into a dorm room with three roommates.
Jackie Vandergriff's body was found in a partially burned blue plastic kitty pool at Acorn Woods in Great Vine, Texas, on the morning of September 14, 2016.
The body was severely mutilated, with arms and legs severed at the elbows and knees, and the head removed and placed in a plastic bag. The torso was cut open, and the heart was missing. The victim was identified by partial fingerprints and clothing with the Texas Women's University logo.
Charles Bryant was a man arrested for stalking a previous girlfriend and was found to have a history of criminal activity. He was linked to the case through surveillance footage, cell phone data, and physical evidence, including a knife with blood, zip ties, and a matching blue kitty pool in his backyard.
Charles Bryant was seen with Jackie at a bar in Denton, and surveillance footage showed him driving her to his home. He later had a vehicle search that revealed items like a knife, zip ties, and a blue kitty pool, all matching evidence from the crime scene.
Charles Bryant initially denied knowledge of the murder and claimed he couldn’t remember the events. However, he repeatedly said, 'It's totally me,' and eventually conceded that he had committed the crime, though he claimed to have a blackout.
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