A , South Carolina , male was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty of the murder of a disabled , U. S. Army , former, according to the , 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
On Wednesday, following an eight- time test in a , Laurens County , court, 49- season- old , Timothy Paul Spencer , was convicted for the , December 2021 , murder , of , Billie Jean Cross, the attorney’s office said in a news release.
Spencer was finally sentenced to life behind bars, without the possibility of probation, according to the launch.
Missing
On , Dec. 10, 2021, Cross ‘ family members reported the 58- year- ancient impaired Army veteran missing, the solicitor’s office said. According to the release, Cross stated in a conversation with her mother the day before that she was anticipating a repairman for her warm house to resolve the heat.
Mother of Cross not got that call.
The following day, Cross ‘ mother and other family members met detectives at the veteran’s residence on , Fairview Road , south of , Fountain Inn , and they did n’t find Cross or any signs of forced entry, the solicitor’s office said.
According to the release, investigators did notice a number of tiny drops that appeared to be body on the carpet next to a chair where Cross was known to relax. Researchers also noted that Cross ‘ rolling debris vessel was missing, the lawyer’s office said.
Cross was listed as , missing and probably endangered , by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office.
The Investigation
According to the release, investigators were able to use Cross ‘ bank records to identify Spencer as the HVAC repairman who went to Cross ‘ home over the course of the following week.
Following search warrants for the victim’s cellphone data, Spencer’s mobile data, and Spencer’s vehicle GPS records led investigators to the technician, a native of , Anderson County, as being a prime believe in the case, the attorney’s office said.
Spencer denied any involvement, but was held on warrants in , Greenville County , stemming from fraud allegations surrounding his HVAC business, according to the release. Investigators also discovered a transaction using a phone app between Cross ‘ personal bank account to Spencer’s account in the amount of$ 2, 500 the afternoon after she disappeared, the solicitor’s office said.
According to the solicitor’s office, Spencer’s frequent visits to a casino in , North Carolina, led to one casino visit just before Cross went missing, according to the solicitor’s office.
Later that week, Cross ‘ body was found — wrapped in a blanket taken from her house — in bushes in a rural area about seven miles from Spencer ‘s , Anderson County , residence in the , Starr , area, the solicitor’s office said. Her body was discovered by a man and his son who were looking at property they were buying on , Cummings Springs Road , in , Anderson County,  , The State previously reported.
A trash can that appeared to have been tossed from a bridge into a creek less than a half mile from Spencer’s home was later discovered by an investigator, according to the release. The trash can was later discovered to have blood that matched Cross ‘ DNA in the trash can, according to the solicitor’s office, and was identified as the one that went missing from Cross ‘ home.
Spencer’s truck GPS data showed that he was at the victim’s house, the location where the body was found, and the location where the trash can was found at the bridge on the day Cross went missing, according to the release.
Information about a motive for the killing, and Cross ‘ cause of death were not available.
“Horrific”
” Timothy Spencer committed a crime that is as horrific and senseless as I have seen in over two decades in this profession”, Solicitor , David Stumbo , said in the release.. My prosecutors and I were honored to carry this case into the courtroom to make sure justice was done for , Billie Jean.”
Josh Thomas , and , Jared Simmons , led the prosecution for the solicitor’s office, with assistance from 8th Circuit Investigator , Joey Pittman , and Sgt.  , Kendall Cash , of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and Laurens County Victim Advocate , Joy Lindsay.
Spencer was represented by 8th Circuit Public Defender , Chelsea McNeill, along with attorneys , Tristan Shaffer , and , Joel Broome , of the Public Defender’s office.
The victim
Cross grew up in , Greenville County, went to , Mauldin High School , and earned a , degree in English and Spanish from , Clemson University , in 1985, The State previously reported.
She served four years in the , U. S. Army , at , Fort Meade , in , Maryland , as an electronic warfare signals intelligence analyst before working a number of office jobs in , Greenville , and , Spartanburg , counties. Cross , served during Operation Just Cause , in , Panama, according to her obituary.
She married , Larry Wayne Cross, a systems analyst and avid parachutist, in 1998, according to The State. They lived in his hometown in , Nova Scotia , for a few years before he died in 2015.
Cross, who was suffering from arthritis and used a walker, came back to , Greenville , and earned paralegal certification at , Greenville Technical College , and worked in a law office for a few months, The State reported.
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