Dallas County Public Defender Investigator Charged in Wife's Stabbing
Jimmy Spurger was booked into the Lew Sterrett Jail Saturday after police found his wife dead with a knife in her neck.
By Pedro Barnes ·
A 52-year-old woman died with a knife lodged in her neck inside a downtown Dallas apartment on Friday night. Her husband, Jimmy Harold Spurger Jr., 54, was arrested Saturday morning and charged with first-degree murder.
Spurger served as the chief investigator for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office for 11 months. He led the department's Investigative Division. Before that role, he worked more than 13 years for the public defender's office, mainly in the Capital Murder Division. He also spent over 20 years in law enforcement, including 10 years supervising investigations in the Child Abuse and Family Violence Division for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office.
Dallas Fire-Rescue first responders arrived at an apartment in the 2323 block of North Akard Street around 10:40 p.m. Friday for a welfare check. They knocked and received no answer. Personnel forced entry after finding furniture blocking the door from the inside.
Inside the residence, responders found Maria Teresa Spurger on a couch. She was unresponsive and had a knife in her neck. She died at the scene. Police found Spurger sitting on a bed in the bedroom, covered in blood. A small knife lay next to him. Multiple empty pill bottles covered in blood were located in the kitchen.
Spurger did not answer initial questions from first responders. Officers suspected he had ingested multiple pills and took him to Methodist Central Hospital. Court documents state that Spurger and his wife had been married for approximately 35 years.
Magistrate Jessica Warren signed an arrest warrant for Spurger on Saturday. The warrant sets his hold without bond. He was booked into the Lew Sterrett Jail.
The arrest affidavit details the scene and the medical response. Spurger’s professional history spans three distinct legal entities in Dallas County. He now faces a first-degree murder charge for the death of his wife.
