Copyright CBS News
An Alvarado man is in jail in connection to the murder of his wife, police say. Chelsea Spillers, 33, was found dead in her Alvarado home around 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 18, when police responded to a call regarding a welfare concern. Her cause of death was blunt force trauma, according to police. Spillers was a science teacher at Alvarado High School, according to Alvarado ISD. In a letter to parents, the school district said Spillers taught there since 2022 and was a dedicated educator who loved her scholars and team. Counseling support was made available for students and educators on Monday. Her husband, Brandon Ashley, was arrested on Oct. 20 in Grimes County. Husband located 160 miles away On Oct. 19, the Grimes County Sheriff's Office received a report of a man, Ashley, trespassing at a home in Bedias, about 160 miles away from where Spillers was found. The 911 caller said Ashley was wearing shorts and no shirt and appeared to be experiencing a mental health episode. They also said there appeared to be a pistol in his pocket. Other residents in the area told GCSO that Ashley was knocking on doors earlier in the day, asking for a shirt. He was also reportedly avoiding the highway, saying there were "too many cops." Deputies patrolling the Bedias area weren't able to locate Ashley but on the morning of Oct. 20, they received another call about a suspicious vehicle on a property in the area. Once that vehicle was located, police said it was believed to be stolen. A Grimes County constable said he was told Ashley was seen at a convenience store in town. Ashley was detained at that convenience store shortly after, where he told police he hid a firearm nearby but refused to say where. A revolver was later located. Ashley is in the Grimes County Jail and will be transported to the Johnson County Jail.
