North Texas teacher found dead at home. Husband arrested, faces murder charge
A North Texas man was arrested Monday and faces a murder charge after his wife, a teacher at Alvarado High School, was found dead at their home, police said.
Alvarado police responded to the couple’s home about 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, after receiving a call regarding a welfare concern, police said.
When officers arrived, they found Chelsea Spillers, 33, dead in her home, police said. Spillers’ cause of death is believed to be blunt force trauma, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
An arrest warrant was issued for Spillers’s husband, Brandon Ashley, police said.
Spillers taught biology and chemistry at Alvarado High School, according to the school district’s website.
“We were saddened to hear of the tragic passing of a beloved Alvarado High School educator, Chelsea Spillers, on Saturday. She was a dedicated educator who loved her scholars and Alvarado ISD team,” Alvarado ISD said in a statement sent to families. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and our entire Alvarado ISD family.”
Husband arrested in Southeast Texas
Ashley was arrested in Grimes County in Southeast Texas. He is being held in the Grimes County Jail awaiting extradition to Johnson County, police said.
Police said Ashley was previously arrested on Oct. 16 for interference with public duties.
The murder investigation is ongoing, Alvarado police said.
The Grimes County Sheriff’s Office received a report about 7 p.m. Sunday of a shirtless man wearing black shorts who was passing by a residence near FM 1696 in Bedias, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The caller reported that the man, later identified as Ashley, appeared to be experiencing a possible mental health episode and might have a pistol in his pocket, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Other residents in the area also reported that Ashley had knocked on several doors earlier in the day asking for a shirt. The residents told deputies that Ashley was avoiding Texas Highway 90 because he said there were “too many cops,” according to the release.
Deputies were unable to find Ashley on Sunday, the release stated. On Monday morning, about 9 a.m., a possibly stolen Cadillac Escalade that Ashley was driving was reported to be on pastureland near County Road 115, according to the release.
When deputies arrived, residents informed them that Ashley had been at a convenience store in Bedias. He was detained by deputies around 10 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies said Ashley told them he hid a gun near the convenience store but wouldn’t say where. They later found an Astra .357-caliber revolver, according to the release.
Ashley was taken to an emergency room for medical evaluation and treatment before he was detained, according to the release.
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 12:47 PM.