SECTIONS
A Tarrant County jury found Frederick Spears, 57, guilty of capital murder for killing his estranged wife. He received an automatic life sentence in prison without parole.
Tarrant County Assistant District Attorneys Chase Payne and Allenna Bangs prosecuted the case.
"The jury spoke for Tarrant County, returning their verdict in a mere 17 minutes," District Attorney Phil Sorrells said. "We stand with victims and we hold violent criminals accountable."
On Sept. 22, 2025, Frederick Spears went to the Arlington home of his estranged wife, 53-year-old Mary Spears, and stabbed her multiple times, killing her.
"She was slaughtered and left for dead," Bangs said.
Just days earlier, Spears had been arrested for threatening a family member with kitchen knives, and an emergency protective order had been issued directing him to stay away from his family.
Spears went out and bought a knife and saw kit – what Payne called "a murder kit" – and returned to the home early in the morning of Sept. 22, 2025.
He waited in the backyard near the side of the house until Mary stepped outside.
When she saw him, Payne said she likely uttered her final words: "What took you so long?"
Spears attacked her. Though she weighed only 83 pounds, she tried to defend herself.
"She tried to fight back," Payne told jurors. "She was unsuccessful."
Spears repeatedly stabbed her, pushing her to the ground before plunging the knife into her heart.
Her son later found her unresponsive in the backyard, bleeding from multiple stab wounds.
"He made good on the promise he had been making (to Mary) for years," Bangs said. "He always said, 'I'm going to kill you.'"
Police later found Spears behind a church in Arlington. When officers approached, he started stabbing himself and attempted to stab a police K-9. Officers intervened, transported him to the hospital and then placed him under arrest.
"Find him guilty of capital murder and nothing else," Payne asked of jurors.
DA Investigator Darla Dowell also worked on this case.
Mansfield, Texas, is a booming city, nestled between Fort Worth and Dallas, but with a personality all its own. The city’s 76,247 citizens enjoy an award-winning school district, vibrant economy, historic downtown, prize-winning park system and community focus spread across 37 square miles. The Mansfield Record is dedicated to reporting city and school news, community happenings, police and fire news, business, food and restaurants, parks and recreation, library, historical archives and special events. The city’s only online newspaper launched in September 2020 and will offer introductory advertising rates for the first three months at three different rates.
The Mansfield Record is the only local newspaper serving Mansfield, Texas. Established in 2020, the Mansfield Record is bringing the focus back where it should be.
