TV Bailiff Breaks Silence on Wife’s Shooting Death: ‘I Treated Her Like My Queen’

Nearly seven years after Patricia Spivey died from gunshot wounds inside the bedroom closet of her Houston home, her husband has spoken out to defend his innocence after he was once accused of killing her.

Renard Spivey, a former Harris County sheriff’s deputy and television bailiff known for his role on “Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez,” was acquitted of the murder of his wife in 2023, ABC 13 previously reported. A jury found prosecutors had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he intentionally shot Patricia during a late-night argument.

“I love my wife. I did everything for her,” now 68-year-old Spivey told CBS News in a recent “48 Hours” interview. “Anything she wanted … I always treated her like my queen.”

But acquittal did not end the questions.

Spivey publicly recounted his version of the events that unfolded on July 28, 2019. He described a marriage strained by suspicion and a confrontation that escalated in seconds.

“She thought I probably was cheating on her,” Spivey said, explaining that his wife had become concerned about a lack of intimacy in their relationship.

According to Spivey, the argument began after he noticed Patricia repeatedly turning her cellphone away from him, CBS News reported. Curious, he said he took the phone and walked into a closet. Moments later, he claimed, she appeared holding a handgun.

“When I turned around and saw her finger on the trigger, I was scared for my life,” he told CBS News.

Spivey said he grabbed the weapon and was shot in the leg during the struggle. He maintains the gun discharged additional times accidentally, fatally wounding his wife. He later called 911 and attempted to save her.

“It was really emotional because the thing is that it’s my wife,” he said. “You try to save your wife, and you’ve been shot.”

Yet the case continues to draw skepticism, especially after a resurfaced clip from Spivey’s time as a bailiff on “Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez” raised alarms. In the clip, a husband jokes that Spivey “looks mad” when asked how long he and his wife had been married.

The court erupted in laughter as the husband continued to Spivey, “You don’t look happy, brother.” Years later, the former bailiff was tried for the murder of his wife.

Former prosecutor Lisa Andrews, who reviewed the evidence for CBS News, questioned Spivey’s demeanor during the 911 call and the delay before he told dispatchers he had shot his wife. Andrews said his responses raised concerns about whether he was being fully truthful about what happened.

Spivey rejects those criticisms, saying trauma shaped his behavior that night.

“When you traumatized … and see your wife shot, and you shot too at the same time, it’s a lot,” he said.

For prosecutors, the case ended with an acquittal in December 2023. For Spivey, the verdict closed a courtroom battle but not the lingering debate over what happened behind the closet door that summer morning in Houston.

Most recently, Spivey was accused in March of allegedly stealing $400 from a waitress’ fanny pack, ABC 13 reported. He was arrested and charged with theft from a person.