Grapevine murder suspect previously jailed for stalking UNT student

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Court records show the man accused of murdering and dismembering a student from Texas Woman’s University was previously arrested for stalking a University of North Texas student.

Charles Bryant is charged with capital murder for the death of 24-year-old Jacqueline Vandagriff.

The day after the student’s burned body was found in a Grapevine park, a protective order was issued against Bryant for harassing a UNT student he briefly dated.

The UNT student’s request for the protective order describes Bryant's behavior as becoming more and more aggressive.

Things began their downward spiral on August 23 when the UNT student ended her three-month relationship with Bryant. The next day, she says Bryant knocked on her dorm room door and was surprised because she had not told him where she was staying.

Court documents say the UNT student spoke with Bryant in the common room. She says Bryant tried to kiss her, and she pushed him away. He apparently begged to get back together with her but said no and told him not to come back to the dorm.

The student called UNT Police who later told Bryant to leave her alone.

A week later on August 31, Bryant allegedly showed up to Buffalo Wild Wings in Grapevine where the UNT student worked and handed her a note. He sat at the bar and asked to be seated in her section. She refused and called police again.

UNT police called Bryant again and told him if he didn't leave her alone, he would be arrested.

The next week on September 6, the UNT student says Bryant showed up at her dorm room again and was knocking on her door. Court documents say she "looked out the peephole and saw Charles.”

Instead of opening the door, the UNT student called police. This time, Bryant was arrested and charged with criminal trespass.

Bryant bonded out the next day. However, UNT Police went a step further and drew up a warrant for the stronger charge of stalking. He was arrested again on the new stalking charge.

A municipal judge then issued an emergency protective order so that Bryant wouldn’t be allowed to communicate with the UNT student. Police say he signed the order.

Fast forward to September 17, three days after Vandagriff’s body was found. Bryant was already on the radar by Grapevine Police. And UNT police received yet another call from the ex-girlfriend.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, "she received 5 additional emails from Bryant, in which he states he misses her and pleads with her to talk to him. Bryant asks her several times to" drop the charges" against him and reconcile."

The emergency order violation was enough cause Grapevine Police needed to arrest him.


Timeline of TWU student’s murder and mutilation

Vandagriff's burned and dismembered body was found last Wednesday morning in a Grapevine park. She was on a date the night before with Charles Bryant, a man police believe she just met.

The capital murder affidavit charging 30-year-old Charles Dean Bryant with the brutal murder of the 24-year-old TWU student outlines how some of the evidence links Bryant to her murder.

The affidavit revealed there is video of Vandagriff and Bryant leaving the Fry Street Public House Bar in Denton near the University of North Texas last Tuesday night.

A short time later, another video shows the two of them leaving the Shots and Craft's Bar a block away at roughly 9:45 p.m.

Investigators say they were able to track cell phone activity from both Vandergrift and Bryant from Denton to the Haslet area that same night where Brian lives.

The affidavit says security video shows Bryant buying a shovel around 4:41 a.m. Wednesday morning at a Walmart in Haslet.

By 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Grapevine Fire Department responded to a fire on the southeast side of Grapevine Lake. They found a dismembered and burning body in a blue plastic kiddie pool and were able to identify Vandagriff through fingerprints.