The lead investigator with the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office, who spent years investigating capital murder cases, has been charged in the stabbing death of his wife. He remained in custody Monday.
Jimmy Spurger, 54, was held on $150,000 bail on a murder charge after his arrest Friday in the death of Maria Spurger, 53, according to Dallas County jail records and a police news release.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit in the case, a request was made to the Dallas Fire Department for a welfare check call to the couple’s Dallas apartment.
When no one answered the door after several knocks, Dallas firefighters forced the door to the apartment, but had to clear furniture blocking the front door so they could open it fully, according to the affidavit.
“DFR found plaintiff Maria Spurger who was unconscious and lying on the couch with what appeared to be a knife lodged in her neck,” the affidavit states.
Responders then found Jimmy Spurger sitting on the bedroom bed, but he did not respond to their questions about his well-being, the document states.
They left the apartment and called police, who then found Maria Spurger covered in blood on the couch, the affidavit states.
Police found a small knife next to Jimmy Spurger and several empty, blood-covered pill bottles in the kitchen, according to the affidavit.
The police investigation determined that Maria Spurger was stabbed by “a known suspect,” a police statement said. Spurger was taken to the hospital and could not immediately be interviewed because of the numerous pills he had ingested, the affidavit states.
Clay Jenkins, the county judge and its chief elected official, said on social media that he had ordered Spurger’s suspension.
The Dallas County Public Defender’s Office said it was deeply saddened by the death.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time,” it read.
Dallas County court records show Jimmy Spurger filed for divorce last month. The couple had been married for 35 years.
Spurger had been in his position as supervisor of the investigative division for 11 months and had worked for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office for more than 13 years, according to his biography posted on the public defender’s website. The biography was deleted on Monday.
Most of his time with the office was spent in the capital murder division, “where he conducted factual and mitigating circumstances investigations for some of the most complex and serious criminal cases handled by the office,” the biography states. He added that his experience includes investigating questions of guilt and innocence and developing mitigating evidence.
He spent more than 20 years in law enforcement, specializing in the investigation of homicides and crimes against persons, according to the biography. He also worked in the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office in the child abuse and domestic violence division, the biography states.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help at (800) 799-SAFE (7233) or visit www.thehotline.org to find out more. States also often have domestic violence hotlines.
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