Former courtroom TV show bailiff charged with murder of his wife in Houston
Renard Spivey, had been a television bailiff for Judge Cristina Perez, but is now charged in the shooting death of his wife after what police say was an argument over a gun in the home
An off-duty Sherriff’s deputy in Harris County Houston who once was a bailiff on a courtroom television show has been charged with the murder of his wife.
Renard Spivey, 63, who served as bailiff for the show Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez, was arrested and placed into harris County Jail Monday night after a shooting early Sunday morning left his wife dead and him wounded. He has been a deputy with Harris County Sheriffs Office for 14 years.
Houston Police responded to a 3:10 a.m. call from Spivey who reported “shots fired” at his home, finding his wife Patricia Ann Marshall Spivey, 52, dead. Her husband was found with a gunshot to the leg.
Houston television station KHOU reports the police originally stated the Spiveys were engaged in a “domestic disturbance,” prior to what was originally stated to have been an accidental shooting.
Court documents filed on the incident cite Spivey detailing to officers they were arguing over infidelity and steroid use. The argument led to a battle over a gun that was in their bedroom’s closet.
“We was arguing and tussling with the gun,” Spivey told the police, in an interview captured on body camera. “We had been arguing all day.”
While Spivey said his wife’s shooting was an accident, investigators refute the claim. Prosecutors state what has been discovered at the scene, including three casings in the closet, does not support the accident story Spivey is telling.
Medical examiners spotted bruising around the wrists of Spivey’s wife, along with two bullet wounds. One wound was through the right arm, the second in the heart, which killed her.
Prior to the shooting Spivey was in contact with his wife’s brother alerting him to the arguments in their home. Her brother, Ezra Washington, stated Spivey told him Patricia is going to make him “rise up like Incredible Hulk and it ain’t gonna be good.” Washington stated he suggested Spivey left before the disagreement took a turn.
Patricia Spivey’s elderly father was also home during the shooting, however, he had no knowledge of it happening.
Spivey’s employment with the Harris County Sheriffs Office is currently under review.
He will now have to take a mental health evaluation. As a part of his bond, he will not be able to contact his wife’s family, have access to weapons, be able to consume drugs or alcohol and must wear a GPS monitor. He must also submit random urine tests.
Renard and Patricia Spivey were married in 2015.
