Man accused of killing wife at Arlington home was out on bond for family violence
The 55-year-old man accused of killing his estranged wife at her Arlington home on Monday had been arrested on a family violence charge and bonded out four days before the fatal stabbing, police said.
After he bonded out of jail, Arlington police drove Frederick Spears back to his estranged wife’s house, which officials now acknowledge should not have happened.
Investigators found text messages that linked Frederick Spears to Mary Spears’ death, Arlington police said in a news release Wednesday. Police and members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force located the suspect in north Arlington on Tuesday.
Frederick Spears grabbed a knife and stabbed himself when the officers approached, according to the release. He ignored commands to drop the weapon, and only did so after officers deployed their Tasers, less-lethal rounds and a police K-9. No officers were injured, and the suspect is recovering in a local hospital.
Police were called to the 1000 block of Shortleaf Pine Drive about 9 a.m. Monday. A family member had gone looking for Mary Spears after receiving a “concerning text message” from Frederick Spears about his wife, police said. The 53-year-old woman was found bleeding and unresponsive in the back yard. She’d been stabbed multiple times.
Mary Spears died less than an hour later in the emergency room of Medical City Arlington hospital. Her death was ruled a homicide and was caused by stab wounds to the chest and neck, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Mary Spears and Frederick Spears had been married for several years but were currently estranged, police said in the release. Mary Spears had recently allowed her husband to stay at her home, and officers were called to a domestic disturbance at that location on Sept. 17.
According to police, Frederick Spears got into an argument with a family member and threatened them with two kitchen knives. He was booked into the Arlington City Jail on one count of aggravated assault family violence but bonded out Sept. 18.
Upon being released, Frederick Spears asked police for a ride to his wife’s home so he could pick up his vehicle. An officer drove him to Mary Spears’ house, where the suspect got into another argument, the release states. The officer instructed Frederick Spears to leave the location, which he did.
Frederick Spears wasn’t allowed to return to Mary Spears’ home or have any contact with her or other family members as one of his bond conditions, according to the release.
“The department acknowledges that the officers should not have arranged transportation back to the home,” the release states. “Additionally, the department is conducting a comprehensive administrative review to determine whether changes to policy and/or procedures are necessary to ensure this does not happen again.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 5:31 PM.
