Davie Dauzat was offered a plea deal to spare his children the trauma of a criminal trial

Texas Man Admits Decapitating Wife In Front of Kids and Placing Her Head in Freezer

A 24-year-old Texas man who admitted decapitating his 21-year-old wife and placing her head into their freezer has pleaded guilty to murder and will spend the next 52 years in prison, PEOPLE confirms.

Davie Dauzat entered his guilty plea on Friday, and a statement from the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office says “this plea deal was offered at the request” of the victim’s family.

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Dauzat admitted in court he killed his wife, Natasha Dauzat, 21, in 2016, according to the statement.

Her body was found in the couple’s Bellmead home, with dozens of stab wounds.

The Aug. 25, 2016, murder occurred in front of the couple’s children, who were 1 and 2 at the time, according to the statement.

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“While this killer earned a lifetime behind bars, the health of the children who witnessed this terrible act had to be considered,” the statement reads. “The family and medical professionals were adamant that these children could not relive this unspeakable horror in a trial. The family and District Attorney will work together to ensure this defendant spends each day of his next 52 years locked behind bars.”

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Police received a call the morning of Aug. 25, 2016, from Davie’s brother, who told investigators he was worried about Davie after speaking with him on the phone. The brother told police Davie made “weird statements” during the call and asked “funny questions.”

He told police he wasn’t sure if his brother’s statements were drug-induced or serious.

Police were dispatched to the Dauzat home, but Davie refused to come out. Over time, officers were able to talk him into surrendering. Once inside the home, they found the couple’s children unharmed but covered in their mother’s blood.

The medical examiner ruled Natasha’s cause of death to be “sharp-force injuries, including decapitation,” according to the indictment.

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Davie allegedly admitted to police that killing his wife was wrong but later defended his actions by calling the slaying “a battle between good and evil,” according to the indictment.

Davie allegedly told investigators he’d used drugs prior to the killing, but the indictment doesn’t list any substances other than marijuana, which he had smoked with his wife earlier that day.