3-29-04 - A Sherman man was released from the hospital and booked into jail Monday, accused in the brutal mutilation murders of his wife and her two children. Andre Lee Thomas, 21, will be arraigned Tuesday for the deadly stabbings of Laura Thomas, his estranged wife, their 4 year old son Andre, and her one year old daughter, Leyha.

In an affidavit for a search warrant, Sherman police say Thomas told a dispatcher on Saturday that he "murdered his wife at Arrowwood apartments" and "ripped her heart out." But shockingly, police believe that’s exactly what Thomas did, not only mutilating his wife’s body, but those of the two young children.

The affidavit also claims Thomas told his girlfriend a similar story, and claimed to have the victims’ organs inside a gym bag he brought to his home at Crossroads mobile home park later that morning. He also dumped a butcher knife in the kitchen sink. During a later search of the home, police retrieved body parts from a trash can.

Thomas would surrender that morning, but not before stabbing himself several times. Monday, in handcuffs and under heavy guard, he was transferred from the hospital to the Sherman police department and then the Grayson County Jail. When asked if he committed the crime by a First News crew, Thomas said nothing.

Police seized several items from the trailer home where Thomas lived. Among them, a kitchen drain pipe, a child support order, t-shirts, a washcloth, three knives from the kitchen sink and three bibles.