Texas truck driver sentenced to life for killing woman kidnapped in Dallas

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Naasson Hazzard

DALLAS - A Texas truck driver was sentenced to life in federal prison Thursday for the 2024 kidnapping and death of a 25-year-old U.S. Army veteran whose body was found in East Texas.

Mandatory Life Sentence

The Latest:

Naasson Hazzard, 28, of Austin, received the mandatory life sentence from U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay after an eight-day trial in January led to his conviction on federal charges of kidnapping resulting in death.

"The tremendous, relentless work of multiple law enforcement partners brought the terrible acts of this predator to light, and the jury answered the call for justice by finding him guilty," Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson said in a statement. "Now, the life sentence he will serve reflects the value and sanctity of this victim’s life. We hope that this sentence helps her family in the healing process."

About Caleigha Zangari

The victim, identified by family members as Caleigha Zangari from San Diego, California, was a U.S. Army veteran. She entered the Army immediately after high school. According to information shared during the sentencing hearing, her funeral was held with full military honors. Family members told FOX 4 that Zangari had become a victim of sex trafficking.

Surveillance video captured Zangari entering Hazzard’s semi-truck in Northwest Dallas near Harry Hines on Aug. 15, 2024, at 9:27 p.m. Eight days later, her decomposing body was discovered in a wooded area off Texas Highway 11 in Pittsburg, Texas, approximately 120 miles away. A black plastic bag was tied around her head.

Evidence Presented at Trial

The backstory:

Evidence presented during the trial detailed Hazzard's movements and actions following Zangari's disappearance. Cell phone records showed Hazzard traveling from the pickup location to a nearby parking lot, where he remained for about 17 minutes. Trial evidence indicated Hazzard picked up the victim with the expectation of a sex act. He then drove over three hours to the wooded area in Pittsburg, where he texted his boss that he would be out sick the following day and stayed for almost an hour before completing a work load.

The next day, Hazzard and his wife returned to the scene before going to dinner in Tyler, Texas.

In the days that followed, Hazzard switched cell phones, deleted his Google and Life360 location-sharing accounts, and cleaned his truck with bleach. Authorities also uncovered incriminating search histories: Hazzard searched "how many years for first, second and third degree murders," while his wife searched "Pittsburg Texas news."

On Aug. 23, the same day Zangari’s body was recovered, agents found her shattered cell phone on the side of the road along Hazzard’s route from the night she was killed.

Related

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Woman kidnapped in Dallas, killed by truck driver was a sex trafficking victim, family says

Family members have identified the victim as 25-year-old Caleigha Zangari, a U.S. Army veteran from California. They say at some point she became a victim of human trafficking and ended up in Dallas as a sex worker.

A Family's Plea for Justice

What they're saying:

"Your Honor, Naasson didn’t just take a life. He destroyed futures," the victim’s brother told the court during his impact statement at the sentencing hearing. "He created a ripple effect of suffering that reaches further than he could ever understand. I ask you, please don’t see my sister as just a name in a case file. She was a daughter. A sister. A mother. A light in the lives of everyone who knew her. Her life mattered. And her death must mean something."

Travis Pickard, Special Agent in Charge HSI Dallas, applauded the multi-agency effort. "This defendant has been justly sentenced to prison for his abhorrent actions, ensuring that society will be safe from his predatory behavior for the remainder of his life," Pickard said. "May today’s judgment provide some solace to the victim’s family, reassuring them that HSI will never relent in our pursuit of sexual predators who aim to exploit and harm unsuspecting victims."