A longtime Texas investigator who worked on capital murder cases is accused of killing his wife of about 35 years, less than two weeks after filing for divorce.
Jimmy Spurger Jr., 54, was charged with first-degree murder after his wife, Maria Spurger, was found stabbed to death in their downtown Dallas apartment Friday night. Spurger had served as chief investigator for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office.
According to an arrest affidavit, firefighters responding to a welfare check found Maria on a couch with a knife in her neck. Spurger was in a bedroom, sitting on a bed and covered in blood.
Court records show Spurger filed for divorce on Oct. 26. The case was still pending, and a Nov. 3 entry indicated Maria had not yet been served with the papers.
Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins said Sunday that Spurger had been suspended and his workplace access revoked after officials learned of the killing.
Firefighters were called to the couple’s North Akard Street apartment at about 10:40 p.m. Friday. After repeated knocks went unanswered, they forced their way inside and found furniture blocking the entrance.
They moved the furniture and found Maria unresponsive on the couch. Spurger was sitting on a bed in another room and did not respond when firefighters asked if he was all right. The crew left the apartment and called police.
Officers arrived at about 11:13 p.m. and found Spurger covered in blood, with a small knife nearby. The affidavit also describes several blood-covered, empty pill bottles in the kitchen. No one else was inside.
Maria was pronounced dead at the apartment. Spurger was taken to Methodist Central Hospital. Investigators said they could not interview him because he may have taken multiple pills.
He was booked into the Dallas County Jail on Saturday and is being held without bond.
Before his arrest, Spurger supervised investigators who supported public defenders preparing criminal cases. His office biography says he had been chief investigator for 11 months and had worked there for more than 13 years, mostly in the Capital Murder Division. His duties included reviewing evidence and interviewing witnesses.
Before joining the public defender’s office, Spurger spent more than 20 years in law enforcement, focusing on homicide investigations and crimes against people. During his final decade in law enforcement, he supervised child abuse and family violence investigations for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
Police have not announced a possible motive. The investigation is ongoing.
