The 57-year-old man who stabbed his estranged wife to death in Arlington in September 2025 has been sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to a news release from the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office.
A Tarrant County jury found Federick Spears guilty of capital murder. The verdict came 17 minutes after the jury was sent to deliberate, according to the news release.
"The jury spoke for Tarrant County, returning their verdict in a mere 17 minutes," District Attorney Phil Sorrells said in the news release. "We stand with victims and we hold violent criminals accountable."
On Sept. 17, 2025, Frederick Spears was arrested for threatening family members with kitchen knives, according to a news release from Arlington Police following his murder arrest.
Police at the time said he was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault family violence. The next day, Frederick Spears was released on bond.
The DA’s office said in its Wednesday release that an emergency protective order was issued following the Sept. 17 incident, directing him to stay away from family.
On Sept. 18, immediately after bond was posted and he was released from the Arlington City Jail, Frederick Spears went to the lobby of the Ott Cribbs Public Safety Center and asked officers to escort him back to Mary Spears’ home to retrieve his vehicle, according to the news release from Arlington police.
There, investigators said he argued with family members and was ordered by police to leave.
The department said in its release following the murder arrest that it “acknowledges that the officers should not have arranged transportation back to the home.”
On Sept. 22, four days after his release, prosecutors said, Frederick Spears went to the home of his estranged wife, Mary Spears.
On the morning of the killing, Frederick Spears bought a knife and saw kit — what prosecutors described as a “murder kit” — and returned to his wife’s home in the early morning of Sept. 22, according to the release. He waited in the backyard near the side of the house until Mary Spears went outside.
According to the release, that’s when he attacked. Mary Spears, who weighed 83 lbs, fought back but was killed by Federick Spears.
Police in their release following Frederick Spears’ arrest said he sent concerning texts to Mary Spears’ son ahead of the killing, causing him to go look for her.
He found her in the backyard, bleeding from multiple stab wounds, according to the DA’s office.
When officers found Frederick Spears was found behind an Arlington church and tried to approach him, the man began stabbing himself and tried to stab a police K-9, according to the DA’s office.
Police at the time said officers attempted to use Tasers and less than lethal rounds before the K-9 from Grand Prairie police was deployed.
He was taken to the hospital, treated and then arrested, the DA’s office wrote in the release.
Spears was automatically sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole because he was found guilty of capital murder and prosecutors were not seeking the death penalty.
James Hartley is the Fort Worth breaking news reporter and producer for KERA News. Got a tip? Email James Hartley at jhartley@kera.org.
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