A Texas man wanted in connection with a woman’s suspicious death was captured wearing a sweatshirt that chillingly warned, “I will put you in the trunk,” turning his arrest into a viral moment of macabre irony.
Kruz Dean Wanser, 28, was arrested Thursday in Azle, Texas, ending a four-day manhunt that began when Margaret Pennington, 37, was found dead inside her Lakewood Drive home. Deputies booked him on four charges: felony tampering with evidence by concealing a corpse, intent to deliver a controlled substance, simple drug possession, and parole violation.
Yet the detail dominating headlines is the purple hoodie he wore in his mugshot—white block letters across the chest reading: “I will put you in the trunk and help people look for you. Stop playing with me.” The grim coincidence has ignited social-media furor and raised fresh questions about whether the shirt was a deliberate provocation or a grotesque accident.
Timeline of a Manhunt
- Jan. 11, 6:55 p.m.—Azle police respond to a welfare check and find Pennington unresponsive. She is pronounced dead at the scene.
- Jan. 12—Investigators label the death “suspicious,” release Wanser’s name, and offer a $1,000 reward for tips.
- Jan. 15—U.S. Marshals, Texas Rangers, and local officers corner Wanser; he surrenders without incident.
- Jan. 16—Tarrant County medical examiner continues to withhold cause and manner of death, keeping the case legally open.
From Petty Crimes to Possible Homicide
State records show Wanser has cycled through the Tarrant County courts since 2021:
- Evading arrest with a motor vehicle (2021)
- Methamphetamine possession (2022)
- Another narcotics count as recent as July 2025
Authorities have not filed a homicide charge, but the tampering count signals detectives believe a corpse was concealed or altered after death. That distinction is pivotal: under Texas Penal Code §37.09, tampering becomes a first-degree felony—on par with murder—if the underlying crime is capital murder or first-degree felony murder. Prosecutors frequently file it early while building a stronger case.
Why the Sweatshirt Matters in Court
Legal analysts note that apparel can become admissible evidence if it reveals motive, identity, or state of mind. In 2022, a Houston jury convicted a defendant partly because he wore a “Trust Me” hoodie while allegedly kidnapping his ex-girlfriend; prosecutors argued it showed braggadocio and lack of remorse. Expect similar arguments here.
Defense attorneys, however, will contend the shirt is prejudicial and irrelevant if no forensic link ties Wanser to Pennington’s death. Until autopsy results surface, the hoodie could remain the prosecution’s most visceral exhibit—and the defense’s biggest liability.
Azle’s Unusual Homicide History
With 13,000 residents, Azle averages fewer than two homicides per decade. Pennington’s death marks the city’s first suspicious female fatality since 2013, when a domestic dispute ended in a murder-suicide. The rarity amplifies local anxiety: gun-sale background checks in Parker County spiked 18 percent the day Wanser’s photo circulated, according to state firearms data.
What Comes Next
Investigators are tight-lipped about:
- Whether Wanser and Pennington shared a romantic or drug-dealing relationship
- Exactly how the body was allegedly tampered with
- Whether surveillance footage or cell-phone GPS contradicts Wanser’s timeline
A bond hearing is set for Monday. If the medical examiner rules the death a homicide, prosecutors can upgrade charges—potentially to murder—and the hoodie slogan may appear in an indictment as evidence of “extreme indifference to human life.”
Until then, the image of a smirking suspect literally wearing a threat to stuff someone in a trunk will fuel true-crime forums, courtroom sketches, and, most importantly, a grieving family’s demand for answers.
For the fastest, most authoritative crime coverage—delivered the moment suspects are cuffed and cases break—keep reading onlytrustedinfo.com. Our reporters are inside courthouses and police stations nationwide so you never wait for the story that matters.
