HOUSTON – A former television courtroom bailiff who is accused of killing his wife appeared in court Friday.
Renard Spivey, 63, is charged with murder in connection with Sunday’s slaying of his 52-year-old wife, Patricia Ann Marshall Spivey.
Renard Spivey, who was released from jail Wednesday on $50,000 bond, limped up to the judge’s bench during Friday’s hearing. Investigators said he claimed he was shot in the leg during a tussle with his wife, during which she was accidentally shot. Her body was found in the couple’s closet, investigators said.
The judge ordered Renard Spivey to surrender his passport, stay in Texas and observe a 3 p.m. to 9 a.m. curfew. He was also ordered to stay away from the victim's family, meaning he will not be able to attend his wife's funeral unless her family permits it.
"If your wife died and you would try to plan a funeral, and you're not mad at her or her family, but they're mad at you, in the long run, if you didn't go to the funeral, your own wife's funeral, it's awful," said defense attorney Mike DeGeurin.
Friends of the victim said she believed Renard Spivey was either on steroids or having an affair.
Renard Spivey, who became a deputy for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in 1998, served as the bailiff on the television courtroom show “Cristina’s Court” in 2008.