Jamaurea Jermaine Britton

A Tyler man admitted to police a “fit of rage” overcame him and led him to kill a woman in his apartment, according to an affidavit.

Jamaurea Jermaine Britton, 19, was arrested Tuesday after Tyler Police Department detectives discovered the body of a woman who was reported missing earlier that day.

Dejah Hood, 18, was found dead around 1 p.m. Tuesday in a creek bed behind one of the buildings at Hollytree Apartments in Tyler, according to police. Britton told police he killed Hood, wrapped her body, and dumped her behind his apartment building, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Britton told police he picked Hood up from her apartment so she could help him pack, as he was preparing to move. Hood brought along a 1-year-old, whom she was babysitting, according to the affidavit. After telling police one story they say was proven to be mostly false, Britton confessed he killed Hood while experiencing feelings of anger.

“… He was in the kitchen alone, thinking about his ex-girlfriend and the breakup he had just suffered recently,” the affidavit states. “While Britton was alone with his thoughts, he became angrier and angrier. Britton explained how Hood approached him and playfully tugged on his ear, which is something his ex-girlfriend would do.”

Going into what Britton described as a “fit of rage,” he told police he grabbed a glass bottle and hit Hood in the head from behind, causing her to fall, according to the affidavit. He then punched her and strangled her, according to his statements to police. He allegedly grabbed a hammer and continued to repeatedly hit her in the head until the tool’s wooden handle broke, according to the affidavit. At this point, Britton told police he believed Hood was dead – but later learned she was not, according to the affidavit.

Britton then prepared to commit suicide, but was unsuccessful in two attempts – first with a knife and second with a gun he’d purchased earlier that day, according to the affidavit. As he was holding the gun to his head, someone knocked at the door of his apartment. He quickly covered up Hood’s body and attempted to disguise the crime scene before answering the door, the affidavit states. The knock came from a person who heard “commotion” and was checking on Britton, who told the person “he was okay,” according to the document.

At this time, the child was still in the apartment watching a movie on Britton’s bed, the affidavit states. Britton decided to take the child to Hood’s mother’s home, so he placed the child in the front seat of his car. After giving the child and car seat to Hood’s mother, he drove back to his apartment, according to the affidavit.

When Britton walked back into his apartment, he heard Hood say his name, the affidavit states. After realizing she was still alive, he allegedly stabbed her multiple times. He then wrapped her body in trash bags, tape and a bedsheet, according to the affidavit. Around 3 a.m. Tuesday, he carried her body out of his apartment. He saw a neighbor, “which spooked him,” and caused him to toss her body over a fence and “out of sight,” the affidavit states.

About four hours later around 7 a.m., Britton told police he went back and attempted to cover the body with leaves.

Hood’s family members told police it was out of character for her to not respond or let her loved ones know where she was. Family said they were unable to contact her after she’d been out with some friends and was last seen around 5 p.m. Monday.

A missing person report was filed around 12:40 a.m. early that Tuesday morning, TPD Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh said. While at the apartment complex investigating the missing person report, TPD officers and detectives located a body that was later identified as Hood.

Britton is charged with murder. He also faces a charge of terroristic threat of family/household. He was booked Tuesday into the Smith County Jail, where he remains, on bonds totaling $1.05 million.

If anyone has any information on this homicide, contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000.