Homicide Investigation
On August 31,2008, at 10:43 am, the Havre de Grace Police Department received a report from the Department of Emergency Operations that a female subject called and was reporting that a stabbing had just taken place in the 400 Block of South Juniata Street.
Upon the arrival of police, a male subject was found with a knife wound to his chest. The Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps transported the injured subject to a waiting Maryland State Police Medevac Helicopter where he was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
Further investigation by police led to the arrest of Shirley Elaine Spruill, age 61, of the 400 block of South Juniata Street. She has been charged with reckless endangerment, 1st and 2nd degree assault, 1st and 2nd degree attempted murder. Police did recover a knife at the scene of the incident. She is presently being held in the Harford County Detention Center.
The victim in this matter is identified as Bartley Adolphus Spruill, age 53, of the 400 block of South Juniata Street. Mr. Spruill was pronounced deceased at the Trauma Center during the evening hours of August 31, 2008. A post mortem examination will be conducted on September 1, 2008 at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore.
The investigation is continuing.
The accused murderer, Shirley Spruill, has previously been charged with second-degree assault in 2003 and again in 2006. In June 2008, she was charged with failure to control vehicle speed on a highway to avoid collision – and then failure to appear when she didn’t attend the court date.
The deceased, Mr. Spruill, also has a criminal history. In 1996, he was charged with possession of a drug other than marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. In 1998, he was charged with second-degree assault. In 2006, he was charged with driving under the influence and driving on a revoked or suspended license.
Mr. Spruill has also been the complainant in a second-degree assault case in 2000 and the complainant in a theft less than $500 case in 2005 and has been involved in a judgement from a wage garnishment case with General Motors dating back to 1991.
Another sunday in the hood !
This makes 4 in a row !
Heres a troubling stat….are you ready !
Recently Baltimore had 48 murders per 100,000 people in one year.
The 4 murders in the HdG / Aberdeen area alone in the last month translate to 192 murders per 100,000 people in a year, (adjusted for population and time).
What the F is going on?
Go Dagger !
4 murders in 30 days.
25,000 people.
25,000 x 4 is 100,000.(4 is the multiplier used to compare apples to apples(per 100,000))
4 x 4 = 16 (16 is the adjusted number for comparison) in a month per 100,000.
16 x 12mos = 192
Our murder rate is 192 per 100,000 (adjusted at this rate of carnage)
At this rate we will top Iraq’s 2006 rate of 101 per 100,000.
Go dagger !
This is VERY disturbing!! Murder seems to be becoming the “in” thing in Harford County!! This one happened just down the street from my house and I learned of it yesterday when my sister and I walked to Royal Farms and the Detective (the one who spoke on Channel 13 news last night) was standing on the porch. This house is next door to the Havre de Grace Royal Farms so, it’s amazing to me that a lot more people didn’t know about it sooner!!
What happened to the days of having a dispute and taking it out to the back yard, IF you felt it necessary, duking it out or just having your say, and moving on? No guns, no knives … we just read or heard about people being arrested for disturbing the peace because they were fighting, or assault because they actually fought it out?
I have to ask, also … WHAT IS GOING ON???
Can’t we just all get along!?
Brian…mabey you should just leave the “Breaking News Murder” banner as a perminent fixture…just fill in the blanks.
The argument was over bacon….goddam bacon !
The victom had the nick-name SARGE.
Go Dagger!
As of today sept 2 at 3:41 Mrs Sprull has NOT been charged with murder.
( from court records)…
Case Information
Court System: DISTRICT COURT FOR HARFORD COUNTY – CRIMINAL SYSTEM
Case Number: 3R00065299Tracking No:020005956106
Case Type: CRIMINAL
District Code: 09Location Code:01
Document Type: STATEMENT OF CHARGESIssued Date:08/31/2008
Case Status: ACTIVE
——————————————————————————–
Defendant Information
Defendant Name: SPRUILL, SHIRLEY ELAINE
Race: BLACK, AFRICAN AMERICAN
Sex: FHeight:503Weight:250DOB:07/25/1947
Address: 409 S JUNIATA ST
City: HAVRE DE GRACEState:MDZip Code:21078 – 0000
——————————————————————————–
Charge and Disposition Information
(Each Charge is listed separately. The disposition is listed below the Charge)
Charge No: 001Description:ATT 1ST DEG. MURDER
Statute: CR.2.205Description:ATT 1ST DEG. MURDER
Amended Date: CJIS Code:2 0910MO/PLL:Probable Cause:X
Incident Date From: 08/31/2008 To: 08/31/2008 Victim Age:
——————————————————————————–
Charge No: 002Description:ATT 2ND DEG. MURDER
Statute: CR.2.206Description:ATT 2ND DEG. MURDER
Amended Date: CJIS Code:2 0920MO/PLL:Probable Cause:X
Incident Date From: 08/31/2008 To: 08/31/2008 Victim Age:
——————————————————————————–
Charge No: 003Description:ASSAULT-FIRST DEGREE
Statute: CR.3.202Description:ASSAULT-FIRST DEGREE
Amended Date: CJIS Code:1 1420MO/PLL:Probable Cause:X
Incident Date From: 08/31/2008 To: 08/31/2008 Victim Age:
——————————————————————————–
Charge No: 004Description:ASSAULT-SEC DEGREE
Statute: CR.3.203Description:ASSAULT-SEC DEGREE
Amended Date: CJIS Code:1 1415MO/PLL:Probable Cause:X
Incident Date From: 08/31/2008 To: 08/31/2008 Victim Age:
——————————————————————————–
Charge No: 005Description:RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
Statute: CR.3.204.(a)(1)Description:RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
Amended Date: CJIS Code:1 1425MO/PLL:Probable Cause:
Incident Date From: 08/31/2008 To: 08/31/2008 Victim Age:
——————————————————————————–
Related Person Information
(Each Person related to the case other than the Defendant is shown)
Name:MACNEILL, D
Connection:COMPLAINANT/POLICE OFFICER
Agency Code: CAAgency Sub-Code:12Officer ID:7734
Im wondering whats going on ie: mitigating circumstances?
Go Dagger !
look up the report on maryland judical record search to find out her new address is a hospial how she gets away with murder.
Richiec must have been some mighty’ expensive bacon.I’am kind of partial to stuff my self.but it’s not worth all that.
Agreed….
Havre de Grace woman charged in fatal stabbing of husband
The Associated Press
3:52 PM EDT, September 1, 2008
HAVRE DE GRACE – A woman fatally stabbed her husband during an argument over breakfast, Havre de Grace police said. Police said it is the first homicide in Havre de Grace in six years.
Maj. John Van Gilder said 61-year-old Shirley Spruill called 911 around 10:45 a.m. Sunday and said she had just stabbed her husband.
When officers arrived at the home in the 400 block of South Juniata St. they found 53-year-old Bartley Spruill with a knife wound to his chest. He was flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he died Sunday evening.
Van Gilder said Spruill was charged with reckless endangerment, first- and second-degree assault and first- and second-degree attempted murder. He said she was charged before her husband died and she will likely face more serious charges.
I was told by a person who either knows Mrs. Spruill herself or somebody close to her that the argument was over, and I quote, (because I personally do not know either Mr. or Mrs. Spruill), ” Mr. Spruill spending all of their rent money, again”. That is what I was told on Monday. Maybe one day we’ll know what the cause REALLY was, there’s a few different things going around right now, but, no matter the reason, there is just NO EXCUSE for someone choosing to take another person’s life!!! It almost seems as though murder is a contagious disease – it happens once then it spreads like wildfire. Very disturbing!!
She still has not been charged with murder ??? sept 3, 08
RICHIEC – No. She hasn’t been charged with any crime and it’s very unlikely that she ever will be. There may be some out there who have pity for her but, I know I sure don’t. Whether she took him up there with the intent for this to happen or not – had she not taken him up there at all, it could not have happened so, she should not even have told him she was having a b-day party for Lexie!! Even if there’s no criminal charges ever brought against her, she will always be a culprit in many people’s minds, but still, she did not make kevin pull that trigger. He did that of his own free will, she just put the wheels in place for the motion to occur.
OOPS!!! Sorry!!!!!!!!!! I was on the wrong article!!!
As of this morning, the charges against Mrs. Spruil haven’t changed, as far as anything on the news.
In a case like this, the state’s attorney can/will apply additional charges. There is no rush here. Shirley isn’t going anywhere. Next step is grand jury for Shirley. She WILL be charged with 1st and 2nd degree murder.
people need to get all there facts first because things aren’t what they appear to be she is innocent and he was crazy i knew them both. richie c you need to find a life of your own.
Terri…in # 14 i think you have spoken about another crime.
GD!
OOPs ! terri already said it was wrong.
GD!
DEE…
Why do you open the dagger if you want silence? WHY?
GD!
well because that is my sister that u r talking about and you don’t know the whole story and you shouldn’t say she guilty when she’s not
everyone has problems and fight or arguments and he had some problems aswell so why bring here past into something that doesn’t need to be brought up i’m sure your past has some bad things in it richie c
Well Dee I am the youngest Daughter of the Bartley Spruill if I did my research correctly your Sister! had alot of problems before she met my father.
This message is basically for “Miss Dee” !! -since you seem to making my father out to be a CRAZY person. I am Mr. Spruill’s daughter and wanted to say that no one (not even your sister) has a right to take anyone’s life. You don’t know the whole story apparently- and I guess possibly I don’t either, and probably never will. All I know is that YOUR SISTER KILLED MY FATHER.
I have 2 children, my brother has 3 and my sister has 1 so that makes 6 grandchildren that he never got to or will never get to meet. Your “sister” still has her life- my father is gone and will never come back so please spare everyone the pity.. I understand that you would be on your sisters side because well she’s your sister, but don’t make it seem like (she doesn’t have any problems either). Her record isn’t cute if you look it up..
I am Mr. Spruill’s daughter an I am totally disgusted and upset about how “the state of Maryland” has handled this situation. I guess anyone can just kill someone plead insanity and then be put into a hospital. All I can say is I hope GOD has mercy over her soul…