Kriti Mehrotra
CBS’s ’48 Hours: The Murder of Jackie Vandagriff,’ as the title suggests, is an episode that examines the brutal slaying of 24-year-old Jacqueline “Jackie” Vandagriff, whose body, burned and mutilated, was recovered from Grapevine Lake on September 14, 2016. Even though there was evidence of a struggle and her being restrained, the medical examiners could not determine how she died. So, it wasn’t until her killer, Charles Dean Bryant, opened up during the police interrogation days later that some concrete answers were received. Now that it’s been a while, though, let’s take a look back at Charles and find out where he currently is, shall we?
Who Is Charles Bryant?
Charles Dean Bryant, of Haslet, was a personal trainer and bartender who worked at Urban Cowboy Saloon in Fort Worth, Texas, until the very day he was arrested, on September 18, 2016, a Sunday. However, it was not for Jackie’s heinous murder that he was taken into custody that day. In fact, the charming and seemingly friendly Charles, who was later deemed to be a narcissist, was jailed for continuously stalking and harassing his ex-girlfriend, Caitlin Mathis, and violating the restraining order she had against him. He’d even gone as far as to show up at her University of North Texas dorm room after she had called the campus security on him.
Fortunately, though, because Charles was already in confinement, it didn’t take long for law enforcement specialists to get him talking about Jackie. And that’s when they found out that Jackie was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. She had met Charles for the first time on September 13, 2016, itself – the night she died – at a college bar. They had got to talking and had left together, with Jackie being utterly unaware of what he had in mind for her. According to a crime expert, Charles, angered by rejection, had made up his mind to kill that day, and it just so happened that he came across Jackie, who looked an awful lot like his ex-girlfriend, Caitlin.
Where Is Charles Bryant Now?
When Charles Bryant stood trial for murder in 2018, his confession to dismembering and burning Jackie’s body after claiming that she died during “kinky” sex gone wrong played an enormous role. His attorney, Glynis McGinty, told the jury that Charles and Jackie were both adults indulging in consensual rough sex in the former’s car near a park, using zip ties for autoerotic asphyxiation, when Jackie passed away.
Then, Charles just panicked and tried to cover up the death as best as possible. The prosecution, however, argued that the murder was premeditated, especially as there was no proof that the two had sex. In the end, after two and a half hours of deliberation, the 12 member jury found Charles guilty of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Thus, instead of the death penalty, which Charles would have faced had he been convicted of capital murder, he was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years, to be served concurrently.
He has not been charged in connection to either stalking his ex-girlfriend or the child porn that was allegedly discovered on his cell phone during investigations. Therefore, at the age of 34, Charles Dean Bryant is currently incarcerated at the William P. “Bill” Clements Unit in unincorporated Potter County, Texas. According to the Texas Department of Corrections inmate records, Charles will be eligible for parole on September 18, 2046.
Read More: Where Is Caitlin Mathis Now?
