ARLINGTON, Texas — The Arlington Police Department says a 55-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder of his estranged wife, 53-year-old Mary Spears, who was fatally stabbed at her home last week.
On September 22, 2025, officers responded to a residence in the 1000 block of Shortleaf Pine Drive where they found Ms. Spears unresponsive in the backyard with multiple stab wounds. She was later pronounced dead.
Detectives identified her estranged husband, Frederick Spears, as the suspect and obtained a warrant for his arrest on one count of Murder. On September 23, Arlington officers, Grand Prairie police, and the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force located him in the 1600 block of N. Davis Drive.
As officers approached, Spears reportedly pulled a knife and began stabbing himself. Despite repeated commands to drop the weapon, he refused until officers deployed tasers, less-lethal rounds, and a Grand Prairie K9. Spears was taken into custody and transported to a hospital, where he remains under treatment. No officers were injured.
Investigators learned the couple had been married for years but were estranged. Ms. Spears had recently allowed Mr. Spears to stay at her home.
Court records show this was not the first violent incident at the address. On September 17, Arlington officers arrested Mr. Spears for Aggravated Assault Family Violence after he allegedly threatened a family member with two kitchen knives. He was released on bond the following day under conditions that barred him from returning to Ms. Spears’ home or contacting her family.
Police also confirmed that after bonding out, Mr. Spears requested a ride from the Ott Cribbs Public Safety Center back to Ms. Spears’ residence to retrieve his vehicle. An officer transported him, where another argument with family members occurred. Police say the officer ultimately told Mr. Spears to leave, which he did.
The department acknowledged that officers should not have facilitated his return to the home in violation of the protective order and announced a comprehensive administrative review of policies and procedures.
Detectives say text messages sent by Mr. Spears to Ms. Spears and other family members further implicated him in her death.
The investigation remains ongoing.
