Jeremy Spielbauer was arrested and convicted of allegedly murdering his former wife, Robin Spielbauer, in 2014. The murder mystery has now caught the interest of NBC's Dateline: Unforgettable, which will delve into the details of the case in its upcoming episode on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at 8 pm ET.
Robin Spielbauer was found dead by a group of women on Helium Road, near County Road 34, in Texas. An autopsy report revealed that she died of severe blunt-force trauma and a gunshot wound to the back of her head. Following further investigation, traces of pink plastic were recovered at the scene from Katie Phipps, Jeremy's wife's gun, which led to her arrest.
Katie's pink gun was deduced to be the murder weapon. However, she maintained from the beginning that she was innocent. Katie was brought under the police's radar after numerous statements from Robin's relatives, who testified that the duo shared a hostile relationship.
Both Robin and Katie were married to Jeremy. While the two ladies were friends from church, their relationship turned bitter after Jeremy had an affair with Katie and divorced Robin to marry her.
Jeremy Spielbauer's conviction was overturned, and then reinstated in 2021
Jeremy Spielbauer was initially able to escape arrest after his then-wife Katie Phipps was apprehended for allegedly murdering Robin Spielbauer. Peels from Katie's pink gun were recovered from the crime site, which led to her arrest. However, she was cleared of all charges a year later, in 2015.
Through cellphone track records and surveillance cameras which captured Jeremy's car on the same route as the murder site, the police concluded that Jeremy could have killed his former wife.
After denying his involvement over four interviews in 2014, Jeremy finally admitted to having met Robin on April 8, 2014. He revealed that Katie had shown up at the location as well, which was when he left.
Katie, on the other hand, claimed that she was at her friend's place before returning home to her son. Jeremy was arrested in 2016 and underwent trial in 2018.
Robin's mother later testified in the case that her daughter always carried her own as well as her children's social security cards, none of which were recovered from the site.
Randall District Attorney James Farren said that while the daughters' cards were recovered from Jeremy's truck, Robin's card was brought to a shop by a homeless man.
Finally, Jeremy Spielbauer was charged with felony murder and convicted for life with a fine of $10,000.
Jeremy Spielbauer's conviction was overturned in 2020 after an error in jury selection was pointed out by the defense.
However, a year later, in 2021, the Seventh Court of Appeals, which had struck the conviction, reinstated it on the grounds that no error was made in jury selection. A statement accompanying the announcement read:
"This opinion concludes a more than seven and a half year long and, at times, tortuous journey for this prosecution. The Randall County District Attorney’s Office hopes this opinion will allow Robin Spielbauer’s family and loved ones to have some measure of closure knowing they will never be able to fully understand the tragic and senseless loss they have suffered."
Jeremy Spielbauer is currently serving his life sentence at a county jail.