Jimmy Spurger Jr., right, is charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of his wife, Maria Spurger. The Dallas police file image at left depicts an unrelated scene. (Laura Buckman/AFP via Getty Images)/Dallas County Jail)
A Texas investigator with years of experience handling capital murder cases is accused of killing his wife of about 35 years, fewer than two weeks after filing for divorce.
Jimmy Spurger Jr., 54, chief investigator for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office, is facing a first-degree felony murder charge. His wife, Maria Spurger, was found fatally stabbed inside the couple’s downtown Dallas apartment Friday night.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Fox 4 Dallas, emergency crews found Maria on a couch with a knife lodged in her neck. Spurger was in another room, seated on a bed and covered in blood.
Dallas County court records show Spurger filed for divorce Oct. 26, less than two weeks before the alleged killing. The case remained active, and a Nov. 3 filing indicated that Maria had not yet been served with the divorce papers.
Jimmy Spurger Jr., chief investigator for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office, is accused in the fatal stabbing of his wife, Maria Spurger. (Dallas County Jail)
Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins said Sunday that Spurger had been suspended and stripped of access to county systems.
“After being notified of this tragic murder yesterday, I directed Administration to suspend the employee and revoke his access,” Jenkins wrote on X.
The affidavit says firefighters were dispatched to the couple’s North Akard Street apartment shortly after 10:40 p.m. Friday for a welfare check.
After repeated knocks went unanswered, firefighters forced their way inside. Furniture had been pushed against the door, blocking the entrance.
Once inside, they moved the furniture and found Maria unresponsive on a couch. Spurger was sitting on a bedroom bed and did not respond when firefighters asked if he was all right.
The firefighters withdrew from the apartment and contacted police.
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Officers arrived at about 11:13 p.m. and found Spurger covered in blood, with a small knife nearby. The affidavit also says several blood-covered empty pill bottles were found in the kitchen. No other people were inside the apartment.
Maria was pronounced dead at the scene. Spurger was transported to Methodist Central Hospital, where investigators said they were unable to question him because he may have taken multiple pills.
Jail records show Spurger was booked into the Dallas County Jail Saturday on a murder charge. He is being held without bond.
The Texas, U.S. and Dallas flags fly in Dallas in this file photo. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Before his arrest, Spurger led investigators who assisted public defenders in preparing criminal cases, according to the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office website. His biography states that he had served as chief investigator for 11 months.
He worked for the office for more than 13 years, spending most of that time in its Capital Murder Division. His responsibilities included reviewing evidence and interviewing witnesses.
A Dallas Police Department SUV is shown in an unrelated file photo. (Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images)
Before joining the public defender’s office, Spurger spent more than two decades in law enforcement, focusing on homicide investigations and crimes against people, according to the office website. During the final 10 years of that career, he supervised child abuse and family violence investigations for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective C. Johnson at 214-671-3584 or chanesia.johnson@dallaspolice.gov.
News Media contacted the Dallas Police Department seeking comment but had not received an immediate response.
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