A Texas man is facing charges for the murder of his wife, a high school teacher, following a tragic incident last week.
Authorities apprehended Brandon Ashley on Sunday in Grimes County, approximately two and a half hours away from the couple’s Alvarado residence, where the body of 33-year-old Chelsea Spillers was discovered on Saturday, as reported by KXAS.
Alvarado Police Assistant Chief Ben Moore revealed that a neighbor alerted police on Thursday, concerned about potential domestic violence at the couple’s home. Upon their arrival, Ashley threatened to take his own life by holding a gun to his head. He was subsequently arrested for interfering with the duties of law enforcement officers, but Spillers later secured his release by posting bail.
Police returned to the residence on Saturday to conduct a welfare check, only to find Spillers deceased. Investigators suspect the fatal incident occurred before 5:30 p.m. that day.
A preliminary autopsy indicated that Spillers died from blunt force trauma, prompting authorities to issue a warrant for Ashley’s arrest.
The following day, the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a suspicious individual trespassing at a property in Bedias, as detailed by KDFW. The man was described as wearing black shorts, being shirtless, and possibly armed with a pistol.
Multiple residents said the man had knocked on their doors earlier in the day asking for a shirt. He also reportedly told the residents he was avoiding a nearby highway because there were “too many cops.” Deputies combed the area but didn’t find him.
The next morning, a 911 call reported a suspicious vehicle on private property in the area, a black Cadillac Escalade that the call said was on pastureland and may have been stolen. An hour after that call, the sheriff’s office got a call about a suspicious man at a convience store. Deputies obtained surveillance video of the man, who came back to the convenience store about 15 minutes later and was arrested.
They identified him as Ashley, and he claimed to have hidden a firearm near the store, although he wouldn’t say where. Deputies later recovered it.
After his arrest in Grimes County, deputies learned he was wanted for murder in Johnson County. He is now in jail waiting to be returned to Alvarado.
Alvarado Independent School District said that Spillers taught biology and chemistry at Alvarado High School.
“She was a dedicated educator who loved her scholars and Alvarado ISD team,” the district said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and our entire Alvarado ISD family,” school officials said in a statement to the Alvarado ISD families.”
