Frederick Spears, 57, was found guilty of capital murder and automatically sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his estranged wife.
ARLINGTON, Texas — An Arlington man was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty of brutally stabbing his estranged wife, the Tarrant County District Attorney said in a press release.
Frederick Spears, 57, was found guilty of capital murder for the killing of Mary Spears in Sept. 2025 at her home in the 1000 block of Shortleaf Pine Drive. He received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
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Five days before killing his estranged wife, Spears was arrested for threatening members of his family with a knife, WFAA previously reported. When he was released on bond the day after his arrest, an officer drove Spears to Mary Spears’ home to get his vehicle upon Spears’ request, despite a no-contact order. Several days later, he returned to the home and attacked Mary Spears with a knife, killing her.
“She was slaughtered and left for dead,” Tarrant County District Attorney Allenna Bangs, who prosecuted the case, said in a press release.
According to the release, after the protective order was issued, Frederick Spears bought a knife and saw kit, then waited near the side of the house in the backyard for Mary to step outside. Mary Spears fought back against her attacker but died from multiple stab wounds, officials said.
She was found unresponsive in the backyard by her son, according to the release.
“He made good on the promise he had been making (to Mary) for years,” Bangs said. “He always said ‘I am going to kill you.'”
WFAA previously spoke with Mary Spears’ son Ashton, who said he wants people to remember his mother for who she truly was.
“I just want everyone to know how good of a woman she was,” Ashton said.