Spoors sentenced to over 10 years in prison for murder; Stabbed his mother Susan Spoors in 2018

Published 8:46 am Friday, June 28, 2019

Russell Allen Spoors

Russell Allen Spoors, 35, of Austin was sentenced to 128 months in the Minnesota Correctional facility in St. Cloud for felony third-degree murder-perpetrating eminently dangerous act and evincing depraved mind on Thursday in Mower County District Court. He received credit for 490 days served.

The charge was reduced from felony second-degree murder-with intent-not premeditated as part of a plea agreement reached on April 3.

Judge Christa M. Daily issued the sentence.

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Spoors was charged in the Feb. 22, 2018, stabbing death of his mother, Susan Kay Spoors, 60, at their residence in the 400 block of Second Avenue Southeast. According to court documents, police reported to the residence prior to the stabbing after Susan expressed concern that Spoors was trying to abuse his medication. She told police she had to hide his medication in her room and that she was “scared” because he would threaten her when she told him to stop going into her room to find it. Police arranged for Susan to stay elsewhere for the night, but she declined, believing he had calmed down and would go to bed.

Susan Spoors

Spoors called police 33 minutes later and reported that Susan stabbed herself with a 12-inch knife. First responders found Susan lying on her bed and bleeding from her abdomen. She was unresponsive and her breathing was slow and shallow.

She later died from her wounds at Mayo Clinic Health System-Austin.

Officers asked Spoors specifically what happened, to which Spoors replied, “”I don’t know. She came out with the knife [and] stabbed herself. She just came at me with the knife and stabbed herself.”

Spoors then changed his story, telling officers she came out of her bedroom with a phone and he came at her with a knife in his hand. She told him to “stop,” at which point he stabbed her several times.

When asked why, Spoors said, “So she stop grabbing knives from me anymore.”

Police found three knives, one of which had blood on it, in the mailbox.

In addition to prison, Spoors must also pay $6.504.98 in fines and fees.