Dallas County chief investigator booked on murder charge after wife found dead
Jimmy Spurger Jr. faces a first-degree murder warrant following the death of his wife, Teresa Spurger, at their North Akard Street apartment.
By Alexei Brooks ·
Jimmy Harold Spurger Jr. was arrested on Saturday morning and booked into the Lew Sterrett Jail on a first-degree murder warrant. The 54-year-old suspect is the chief investigator for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office. Police say he is accused of killing his wife, Maria Teresa Spurger, 52, at their home.
Fire-rescue personnel arrived at an apartment in the 2323 block of North Akard Street around 10:40 p.m. Friday for a welfare check. After knocking with no response, emergency crews forced entry into the residence, which had furniture placed behind the door. First responders found Teresa Spurger unresponsive on a couch with a knife lodged in her neck. She died at the scene.
Officers located Jimmy Spurger sitting on a bed in the bedroom. He was covered in blood, and a small knife lay beside him. The arrest affidavit notes that multiple empty pill bottles covered in blood were found in the kitchen. Spurger did not answer initial questions from first responders. Police suspected he had ingested multiple pills and transported him to Methodist Central Hospital.
Court documents show Spurger filed for divorce from his wife on Oct. 26, 2026. The couple had been married for approximately 35 years. The motive for the killing remains unclear. Spurger is currently held in the Dallas County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Spurger has led the Investigative Division of the public defender's office for 11 months. Before this role, he spent more than 13 years with the office, primarily in the Capital Murder Division. His law enforcement career spanned more than 20 years, including a decade supervising investigations in the Child Abuse and Family Violence Division for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Spurger has been suspended from his job.
Rachana Ranjan, a friend who met Teresa Spurger while working at an OBGYN practice, described her as "one of the most secure, confident, and loving humans that truly was selfless." Ranjan said Teresa spoke fondly of her husband and their children. "I saw how she loved her husband. And her kids," Ranjan said. "For her family, her grandkids. There's so many lives that have been affected because of what happened here. That cannot be changed. And that's heartbreaking."
Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact Detective C. Johnson at 214-671-3584 or chanesia.johnson@dallaspolice.gov.
