A News 8 jailhouse interview with Jim Thorpe, the man arrested in the death of a car salesman, ended with him attacking his jailers.

But before his violent outburst, Thorpe said he knew his alleged victim, 53-year-old Jack Phinney, and that he had previously bought a car from him.

"... I had nothing to do with his death," he said.

Jim Thorpe, a 41-year-old resident of Dallas, is accused of killing Phinney, a car salesman at Manuel Dodge in Richardson.

Police said they believe he somehow forced Phinney out of a pickup truck during a test drive on South Central Expressway. His body was found at about 6 p.m. Tuesday.

"What happened to Jack was he had all of his [expletive] cards in the wrong [expletive] deck," Phinney said. "They were under the table. It wasn't my doing. I didn't cause a [expletive] thing. All I did was buy one car from him and went back to buy a second one. I was good to that man. I made him a good commission. I was a car salesman myself. I know I was good to that man."

Police said Thorpe went the dealership late Tuesday afternoon in Richardson. He then showed a driver's license that expired ten years ago before headed out with Phinney for a test drive. At some point, Phinney fell or was pushed from the passenger seat of the truck during the drive.

"We have a lot of questions about how someone his size, you know, would be removed from a vehicle, or if he voluntarily wanted to get out of the vehicle or panicked or something like that," said Sgt. Kevin Perlich, Richardson Police Department.

Thorpe rambled through the ten-minute interview with News 8 and then stood up in anger.

"It's time to get up [yells incoherently]," he said. [Expletive] you."

Thorpe then attacked the guards who were watching him.

Thorpe has several misdemeanors on his criminal record, including a violation of a protective order. He was arrested in Lewisville after one of his friends called police, was apparently distraught over his failed marriage, telling police it was his "ex-wife who drove him crazy."

Police said they found the stolen truck in front of a flooring store where Thorpe used to work.

As police continue to investigate Phinney's death, his ex-girlfriend said the mourning has just begun.

"They're grieving because he worked here a long time, and Jack was a real team player and a real good friend to everyone," said Suzette Wall, Phinney's ex-girlfriend.

E-mail dschechter@wfaa.com