A truck driver has been convicted in the kidnapping and death of a young woman whose body was found in a wooded area in Texas last summer.
On Tuesday, February 4, a jury deliberated for just one hour before convicting Austin-based truck driver Naasson Hazzard, 28, on a charge of kidnapping resulting in death.
On August 23, 2024, the body of a 25 year old sex worker was discovered with a plastic bag tied around her head in a wooded area off Highway 11 in Pittsburg, Texas, triggering an investigation into her death.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, at 9:30 p.m. on August 15, 2024, surveillance video showed the victim entering Hazzard’s semi truck in Dallas, Texas.
From the U.S. Attorney’s Office:
“Cell phone records showed that on the evening of Aug. 15, Mr. Hazzard traveled from the pickup location to a nearby parking lot, where he remained for approximately 17 minutes. He then drove over three hours to a wooded area off Highway 11 in Pittsburg, Texas, where he texted his boss that he would be out sick the following day and remained for almost an hour before completing a load for work.
The next day, he and his wife returned to the scene before going to dinner in Tyler, Texas.
In the days that followed, Mr. Hazzard switched cell phones and deleted his Google and Life360 location sharing accounts. He also cleaned the truck with bleach and searched “how many years for first second and third degree murders.” Meanwhile, his wife searched for “Pittsburg Texas news.”
On Aug. 23, the same day the victim’s body was recovered, agents found her cell phone shattered on the side of the road along Mr. Hazzard’s route the night she was killed.”
Hazzard was charged in August 2024 and indicted in October 2024.
“A young woman’s life was cut tragically short, her last moments likely spent in terror,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “But those final moments do not define her life. She mattered, her life had worth, and we are proud to put her kidnapper behind bars.”
“Just a few months ago, this violent criminal not only kidnapped an unsuspecting victim, but also took her life. From that time, our commitment has been to seek justice,” said Travis Pickard, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Dallas. “With this guilty verdict, we are one step closer to achieving justice. HSI remains steadfast in using every method at our disposal to apprehend those who commit heinous acts in our communities.”
Officials say that Hazzard is facing an automatic life sentence.
Investigating agencies include theDallas County District Attorney’s Office, the Dallas Police Department, the Midlothian Police Department, the Texas Rangers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the Titus County Sheriff’s Office, the Buda Police Department, the Austin Police Department, the Hayes County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Homeland Security Investigation’s Dallas Field Office.