The chief investigator for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office is accused of murdering his wife of 35 years, less than two weeks after he filed for divorce.
Story Highlights
- Jimmy Spurger Jr., 54, is charged with murder after his wife, Maria Spurger, was found stabbed to death in their downtown Dallas apartment.
- Firefighters on a welfare check had to force the door and push aside furniture that blocked it from inside.
- Police say they found Spurger in the next room, covered in blood, with a small knife beside him.
- He filed for divorce on October 26. Police have not released a motive. He is accused, not convicted.
- Spurger spent more than 20 years in law enforcement working homicide cases, then more than 13 years in the public defender’s capital murder unit.
A Welfare Check Ends at a Deadly Scene
Dallas Fire-Rescue crews went to the couple’s apartment in the 2300 block of North Akard Street at about 10:40 p.m. on Friday, November 6, for a welfare check. A welfare check is a call asking responders to make sure someone inside is safe. No one answered their knocks. When the crews forced the door open, they found furniture pushed up against it from inside.
According to the arrest affidavit, the sworn police statement used to get the arrest warrant, Maria Spurger was on the couch, unresponsive, with a knife in her neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said she was 53. Jimmy Spurger was sitting on a bed in the bedroom and did not answer when crews asked if he was okay. The crews backed out and called police.
Officers arrived at about 11:13 p.m. They found Spurger covered in blood, with a small knife next to him. Empty pill bottles, also covered in blood, were in the kitchen. No one else was inside. He was taken to a hospital, where investigators could not question him because they believed he may have swallowed several pills.
A Divorce Filing Two Weeks Earlier
Court records show Spurger filed for divorce on October 26, with his wife named as the other party. A November 3 court entry showed she had not yet been formally served with the papers. The couple had been married about 35 years.
Police have not released a motive, and they say the circumstances of the killing are still under investigation. Spurger was booked into the Dallas County Jail on Saturday, November 7, on a murder charge, which is a first-degree felony in Texas. He is being held without bond, which means he cannot pay money to get out of jail while the case goes forward. No statement from Spurger or a lawyer for him has been made public.
Who Is Jimmy Spurger Jr.?
A public defender’s office provides lawyers, paid by the county, to people charged with crimes who cannot afford their own. Spurger had led the investigators in that office for 11 months. His team helped defense lawyers prepare cases by gathering facts and interviewing witnesses. He spent more than 13 years with the office, mostly in its unit that handles capital murder cases, which are the most serious murder charges in Texas.
Before that, he spent more than 20 years in law enforcement and specialized in homicide cases. For about a decade, he supervised child abuse and family violence investigations for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
County Leaders Respond
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, the county’s top elected official, said he had Spurger suspended and his access removed. “Upon notice of this tragic murder…I instructed Administration to place the employee on suspension and remove his access,” Jenkins wrote on X. “Our prayers are with the family and all those impacted, including our employees.”
The case is a hard blow for an office whose work depends on public trust. Spurger will face the charge in court, where prosecutors must prove their case. Police ask anyone with information to call Detective C. Johnson at 214-671-3584.
Sources:
foxnews.com, fox4news.com, nbcdfw.com, dpdbeat.com, cbsnews.com, dallascounty.org
