Former 'Justice For All' Baliff Renard Spivey Accused Of Killing Wife
His wife suspected he was on steroids and having an affair.
Facebook 63-year-old Renard Spivey was formerly a bailiff of Justice for All, a TV show with Judge Cristina Pérez who presided over small-claims court arbitrations. He was also a sheriff’s deputy with Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas near the southeastern part of the state. Earlier this week, his wife was found shot dead in their home, and on Monday, he was charged with murder. Who is Renard Spivey? What do we know about his case?
1. He was on the show Justice for All between 2012 and 2016.
According to IMDb, Spivey also appeared in Cristina’s Court (2006); Corruption.Gov (2010), a thriller about an African exchange student who arrives in the U.S. all excited about our awesome “democracy” and instead uncovers a host of dishonest activity related to his home country while campaigning for an American Senator; and Married Men and Single Women (2011), a romantic dramedy about three married men who step out on their marriages only to find that “infidelity has unpredictable & devastating consequences.” He also had a day job as a sheriff’s deputy with Harris County Sheriff’s Office, where he was hired in 1996.
2. His wife, 52-year-old Patricia Spivey, was found dead at the scene.
According to her brother, Ezra Washington, she was heavily involved in her local church and loved photography. She and Renard lived together in their Southeast Houston home. At 3 a.m. on Sunday, Renard called the police to report an accidental shooting at his home. The autopsy indicated that Patricia had been shot twice, one of which went through her right arm, causing the bone to break, according to observations from the medical examiner. The report also noted that she had “minor bruising around her wrists.”
3. Renard claims they had been arguing all day.
A Houston Police Department investigator shared Washington’s suspicions that the couple had been fighting over Patricia’s “suspicions that (Renard Spivey) was possibly back on steroids and/or having an affair, because of a lack of intimacy in their relationship.” He told the investigator that Renard had previously told him, “she’s counting my pills (low testosterone medication), claiming that I’m sleeping with someone else.”
4. Evidence showed that three shots were fired in the closet.
However, one was found in Renard’s leg, and two of them went through Patricia, which renders his statement that he “accidentally” shot her and the firearm “accidentally” discharged during a struggle seem inconsistent. Police also said that the two were involved in a “domestic disturbance” prior to the shooting. Although, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said they have no record of any domestic violence-related incidents involving their veteran deputy.
5. Renard is in hospital and is scheduled to undergo a mental health assessment.
Court documents obtained by ABC13 state that he could have a mental illness or perhaps an intellectual disability (though it’s unclear what the latter would have to do with domestic violence…). Houston Police said that there was an elderly man at the home when the shooting occurred but he told investigators he didn’t hear or see anything (really? He heard and saw NOTHING at all?).
6. As part of his bond conditions, he has been ordered not to contact his wife’s family or have any access to weapons.
Apparently, he also has to wear an ankle monitor. According to his defense attorney Mike DeGeurin, Renard was booked into jail on Monday night and is expected to be released Wednesday on a $50,000 bond (though prosecutors had initially asked for a $100,000 bail because they thought he was “a danger to the community and a flight risk”). DeGeurin eloquently shared the following sentiment on the situation: “We think a lot of him and he’s a good person and he’s facing an accusation he’s got to deal with.”
Leah Scher is an ENFP finishing her degree at Brandeis University. She's an alumna of the Kenyon Review Young Writer's Workshop the Iowa Young Writers' Studio. She's passionate about Judaism, poetry, film, satire, astrology, spirituality, and sexual health.