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 approximately 35 years, coming less than two weeks after he filed for divorce.
Jimmy Spurger Jr., 54, served as chief investigator for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office. He now faces a first-degree felony murder charge after Maria Spurger was discovered fatally stabbed inside the couple’s downtown Dallas apartment Friday night.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Fox 4 Dallas, paramedics found Maria lying on a couch with a knife in her neck. Spurger was in a separate room, seated on a bed and covered in blood.
Dallas County court records show Spurger filed for divorce Oct. 26, fewer than two weeks before the deadly incident. The proceeding remained pending, and a Nov. 3 docket entry indicated that Maria had not yet been served with the paperwork.
Jimmy Spurger Jr., chief investigator for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office, is accused of fatally stabbing 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 said in a post on X.
The affidavit says firefighters were dispatched to the couple’s apartment on North Akard Street shortly after 10:40 p.m. Friday following a welfare-check request.
After repeated knocks went unanswered, firefighters forced their way inside. A piece of furniture had been pushed against the door, blocking the entrance.
Once they cleared the obstruction, crews found Maria unresponsive on the couch. Spurger was seated on a bedroom bed and did not respond when firefighters asked whether he was all right.
The firefighters then 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 near him. The kitchen reportedly contained several empty pill bottles stained with blood. Investigators found no other people 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 ingested multiple pills.
Jail records show he was booked into the Dallas County Jail Saturday on a murder charge. He remains in custody without bond.
The Texas, U.S. and Dallas flags are shown flying in Dallas in an undated file photograph. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Before his arrest, Spurger supervised 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 held the chief investigator position 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 appears in an unrelated file photograph. (Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images)
Prior to joining the public defender’s office, Spurger spent more than two decades in law enforcement, focusing on homicide cases and crimes against people, according to the agency’s website. During the last 10 years of that career, he supervised child abuse and family violence investigations for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities have not identified a motive. Dallas police said the investigation remains active.
Anyone who may have information is asked to contact Detective C. Johnson at 214-671-3584 or chanesia.johnson@dallaspolice.gov.
News Outlet contacted the Dallas Police Department seeking comment, but no immediate response was received.
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