'She was a gem': Friend remembers wife of top Dallas County investigator now charged with her murder

DALLAS - A friend of Teresa Spurger said she always lovingly talked about her husband Jimmy Spurger Jr., the chief investigator for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office now accused of murdering her.

What we know:

Jimmy Harold Spurger Jr., 54, was taken into custody Saturday morning and booked into the Lew Sterrett Jail on a first-degree murder warrant.

According to an arrest affidavit, Dallas Fire-Rescue first responders arrived at an apartment in the 2323 block of North Akard Street around 10:40 p.m. Friday to conduct a welfare check. After knocking with no answer, emergency personnel forced entry into the residence, where furniture had been placed behind the door to block access.

Once inside, first responders found 52-year-old Maria Teresa Spurger lying unresponsive on a couch with a knife lodged in her neck. She died at the scene.

Responding officers also found Spurger sitting on a bed in the bedroom, covered in blood, with a small knife lying next to him. Multiple empty pill bottles covered in blood were also located in the kitchen, according to the arrest affidavit.

Spurger, who did not respond to initial questions from first responders, was taken to Methodist Central Hospital after police suspected he had ingested multiple pills. Investigators noted that Spurger and his wife had been married for approximately 35 years.

According to court documents, Spurger filed for divorce from his wife on Oct. 26, 2026.

Dig deeper:

Spurger has served as the chief investigator for the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office for the past 11 months, leading the department's Investigative Division. 

Prior to his current role, he spent more than 13 years with the public defender's office, primarily in the Capital Murder Division, and worked for more than 20 years in law enforcement, 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.

"She was a gem"

What they're saying:

Rachana Ranjan tells FOX 4's Alex Boyer she met Teresa Spurger while working at an OBGYN practice in North Texas years ago.

"One of the most secure, confident, and loving humans that truly was selfless," Ranjan said. "I mean, she just accepted me for being the goofy girl that would say the most random things on my visits. She was a gem."

Ranjan says Teresa talked fondly of her husband Jimmy, who is now accused of murdering her.

"I saw how she loved her husband. And her kids," Ranjan continued. 

"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."

What we don't know:

The motive for the murder remains unclear. Spurger remains in the Dallas County Jail on a $1 million bond.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective C. Johnson #11543, at 214-671-3584 or at chanesia.johnson@dallaspolice.gov.

DallasCrime and Public Safety