A man has appeared in an East Texas court charged with killing his girlfriend and then cooking her body parts.

Christopher Lee McCuin, 25, of Tyler, Texas was arrested on Saturday and charged with murder after police officers found the body of the woman at his mother's house.

Officials believe McCuin abducted 21-year old Jana Shearer from her home on Friday night and killed her.

He then went on to the home of his estranged wife, where he stabbed her boyfriend, William Veasley, 42, who remains in a critical condition in hospital.

McCuin was still at his estranged wife's home when deputies arrived, but he jumped into his car and escaped after a short chase. He was not seen again until Saturday morning, when he arrived at the home he shared with his mother.

He called her into the garage so she could "come see what he had done." Authorities said his mother and her boyfriend saw the remains of Ms Shearer. They fled and flagged down a police officer.

After they left, McCuin rang 911 and said he had killed Ms Shearer and was boiling her body parts.

Officers reported seeing an ear in a pot of boiling water on the stove and a plate of flesh on the kitchen table with a fork stuck in it.

Smith County Sheriff Lt Larry Wiginton said McCuin had told police that God made him kill Ms Shearer.

However, the sheriff added that there was no proof the accused had actually eaten any part of the woman.

McCuin who reportedly has a criminal record, is being kept at Smith County jail on capital murder charges with bail set at $2,000,000 (£1,000,000).

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