Robin Spielbauer, 32, was shot and killed in Amarillo, Texas, on April 8, 2014, and her body was found sometime after by the side of the road near her car. A few days later, authorities announced that they’d made an arrest in the case, Spielbauer’s ex-husband’s new wife Katie Phipps, who was charged with murder, KFDA reported.
However, after spending more than a year behind bars, authorities were able to confirm that Phipps wasn’t at the scene of the crime and the investigation soon shifted its focus to Spielbauer’s ex-husband, Jeremy Spielbauer.
Jeremy Spielbauer and Phipps married in 2013, a year after his divorce from Robin Spielbauer, but their relationship actually began as an affair before his divorce, court documents revealed. Phipps and Spielbauer’s marriage was also rocky as Phipps soon suspected that her new husband was still romantically involved with his ex-wife Robin. This love triangle led to many arguments and fights between all three, court documents show, culminating in Robin Spielbauer’s murder in April 2014.
Phipps Was Arrested & Charged With Spielbauer’s Murder & Spent Over a Year in Prison
Forensics confirmed that Phipps’ pink gun was the murder weapon and authorities learned of the troubled past between the two women, court documents show, and Phipps was arrested and charged with Robin Spielbauer’s murder shortly after the 32-year-old’s body was found.
Phipps said she’d been incarcerated for around eight months when “Dateline” reached out to her asking if she wanted to talk about the case with them. She said, “I was [interested in speaking out] because at that point nobody was listening to me. So I leaked the entire case over a recorded phone line and letters to Dateline and they listened.”
In July 2015, Phipps was cleared of all charges in the murder thanks to cellphone records proving she wasn’t at the scene of the crime. She was released from jail after 466 days. Following her release, the district attorney said, “Even when she was incarcerated, she didn’t help herself with some of the things she said while locked up,” ABC7 reported. “She has every right to be upset, but one of the people she should be upset with is herself.”
Phipps Testified in Spielbauer’s Murder Trial & Told His Attorney ‘Good Luck Dude’
Once cellphone records ruled out Phipps, the investigation continued and authorities began to suspect Spielbauer. On April 16, 2016, he was arrested and charged with capital murder. After the news of Spielbauer’s arrest and murder charges broke, his attorney Len Walker said he thought they had initially arrested the right killer in Phipps.
Phipps replied, “I don’t think Mr. Walker has seen the evidence,” ABC7 wrote. “I was incarcerated for this. I, of course, had the right to see it all. I know what they’ve got, and they’ve probably have a lot more than I know of. Good luck, dude. If Mr. Walker is going to represent him, good.”
She later worked with the district attorney’s office and testified during Spielbauer’s trial that the two often argued as she believed he was cheating on her with his ex-wife Robin Spielbauer. Phipps said Spielbauer told her two days after Robin’s body was found that he had handled the f****** problem,” Amarillo reported from court.
ABC7 wrote at the time of Spielbauer’s trial that Phipps was studying pre-law at Amarillo College and her plan was to transfer to West Texas A&M University with the goal of eventually helping others who’d been wrongfully accused. Phipps is now the Director of Strategy at Ignite U1 (Ignite You First), which is an organization dedicated to creating “generational cycles of hope” through sport and athleticism.
READ NEXT: Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says