An Arlington man is charged with murdering his estranged wife at her home, one week after he was arrested and ordered to stay clear of his family.
The Text and the Discovery
What we know:
Frederick Spears was taken into custody after a brief, violent standoff with officers.
Police say he stabbed Mary Spears to death before her 19-year-old son discovered her body.
Less than a week before Mary Spears was killed, her estranged husband was arrested on a family violence charge. Arlington police admit that after he bonded out for that charge, officers agreed to drop him off at his wife’s home.
Even though, according to his bond conditions, contact with his family was prohibited.
On Monday morning, Ashton Spears got out of bed, he looked out in the backyard and his mom, Mary Spears, was stabbed to death.
“I felt so bad because my mom is laying there dead, and I’m still looking around so scared. I don’t know if he’s here or hiding,” said Ashton.
55-year-old Frederick Spears is now charged with murder, accused of fatally stabbing his estranged wife.
Their 19-year-old son Ashton says on Monday morning his dad entered through the side gate and also texted him a bizarre, aggressive text, reading:
“I should never came back to help her, but I did not learn my lesson, so the one you all took advantage of and pushed too far returns favor.”
Dig deeper:
The couple had stopped living together, but recently, Mary Spears struggled with some health problems, so she wanted her estranged husband to move back into their Arlington home.
The family’s ring camera captured an argument from September 17.
Frederick Spears is seen armed with two kitchen knives. He was arrested on one count of aggravated assault family violence and bonded out of the Arlington City Jail the next day with conditions, including a no contact order, to stay away from his family members.
Policy Under Scrutiny: The Internal Review Begins
Local perspective:
However, the Arlington Police Department admits officers gave Frederick a ride from the jail to his wife’s home to get his car. He did eventually leave the property, but Ashton Spears and his mom were left shocked.
“We were so mad that they brought him here. My mom said that we should go to the police department and tell them that they did that,” said Ashton.
Four days later, police say Frederick Spears came back and killed his wife.
Now Arlington police are conducting an administrative review of its policies, and it acknowledged officers shouldn’t have arranged transportation back to the home.
“I don’t want to get her in trouble, have her ruined or lose her job or anything like that, but I do want people to know that’s what she did,” said Ashton.
What’s next:
Frederick Spears remains in Arlington’s custody. Law enforcement found him in Grand Prairie following the murder. Police say when officers approached him, he started stabbing himself.
Tasers and less than lethal rounds were used as he was taken to a local hospital where he is recovering.