A California man accused of slipping back onto the streets three times in less than two weeks was free again when authorities say his final burst of violence left a 76-year-old woman dead and ended with deputies killing him in the woods.
Derek Spencer, 44, had already been jailed on accusations involving a deputy assault, a model-home break-in and a stolen vehicle before investigators say he shot Cheryl Macy, a beloved former Placer County District Attorney’s Office employee.
The case has put California’s bail rules back under scrutiny after prosecutors said they tried to keep Spencer locked up following the deputy assault case, only for him to make bail, land back in jail twice and leave again both times.
Spencer’s final hours unfolded near Iowa Hill, where Placer County sheriff’s deputies shot him early on a Monday after he allegedly fired at them during a standoff in steep forest.
Authorities said the confrontation also became a rescue mission when Spencer allegedly ignited two fires as tactical teams moved in, leaving three SWAT operators to be lifted out by helicopter.
The two-week chain began Sept. 3, when Sacramento County deputies jailed Spencer on allegations of felony vandalism, resisting arrest and assaulting a deputy with a deadly weapon.
By Sept. 8, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office had charged him with felony assault with a deadly weapon likely to cause great bodily injury and attempting, through threats and violence, to prevent the deputy from carrying out official duties.
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The DA’s office maintained that Spencer should remain jailed, but said a judge was required by law to set bail. Spencer paid it and was out Sept. 11.
Within roughly 48 hours, Folsom police had arrested Spencer again after responding to a late-night alarm at a model home in the 4600 block of Dehone Circle and finding him coming from the property.
He was taken to the Sacramento County Main Jail and released on his own recognizance the following day, prosecutors said.
Sacramento County deputies arrested Spencer a third time two days later on suspicion of vehicle theft, and he again paid bail before being released Sept. 17.
By Sept. 18, Spencer had failed to appear for a preliminary hearing in the deputy-assault case, prompting a judge to issue a warrant, according to the DA’s office.
Prosecutors had not yet decided whether to bring charges in the burglary and vehicle-theft cases when authorities say Spencer crossed into new alleged violence outside Sacramento County.
In El Dorado County, authorities accused him of stealing another vehicle and guns and shooting at a moving vehicle Sept. 19.
Placer County deputies began looking for Spencer the next day after he allegedly pointed a gun at victims, then spotted him in the Iowa Hill area before he rammed a sheriff’s patrol vehicle and escaped, authorities said.
The manhunt intensified after Spencer allegedly fired at deputies and law enforcement helicopters, prompting officials to tell residents to lock their doors and stay inside.
Inside a home where Spencer had reportedly been seen, tactical teams discovered Macy dead from a gunshot wound.
Investigators believe Spencer killed Macy before disappearing into the surrounding forest, though authorities have not publicly identified any prior connection between them.
A California Highway Patrol aircraft picked up Spencer with infrared technology shortly before 2:30 a.m. Monday, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, after which several tactical teams worked for hours through dark, heavily wooded terrain before reaching him.
Deputies came under fire as they approached, authorities said, and the standoff that followed included drone video that allegedly showed Spencer starting two fires.
Around 4 a.m., Spencer allegedly shot from behind a berm, and deputies fired back, killing him, according to the sheriff’s office.
The flames then put three SWAT operators in danger, forcing the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office RAVEN aviation unit into the forest under dark, low-visibility conditions to hoist all three operators out of the area.
After Macy’s death, the Sacramento County DA’s office pointed to the California Supreme Court’s recent Kowalczyk decision, which prosecutors argued has narrowed judges’ ability to hold repeat offenders before trial even when prosecutors consider them dangerous.
“While the District Attorney’s Office has and will continue to argue that dangerous and repeat offenders like Derek Spencer remain in custody, California must repeal the Kowalczyk decision and change the law to prioritize victims when addressing bail,” the office said.
A separate deadly case in Pennsylvania also involved a suspect who had been released before authorities say he broke into a home and killed someone.
Pittsburgh pediatrician Dr. Idris Evans died after authorities said 32-year-old Elijah Hemingway entered the Edgewood home Evans shared with his wife, Gina Evans, and stabbed them around 12:30 a.m.
Allegheny County police arrested Hemingway, whose court history in the county stretches back to 2016 and whose most recent prior arrest had come in July over a burglary that allegedly happened in February, according to court records.
Hemingway was released without bail in that case, then charged in September with seven counts tied to the Edgewood attack, including criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary and trespassing.
Hemingway allegedly told police that Evans had invited him inside, but police said he could not explain how he knew the doctor. Investigators also noted blood on a kitchen windowsill and an exterior door.
Gina Evans, who suffered stab wounds, fled to a neighbor’s home before a 911 call was made around 12:31 a.m. that Thursday, according to the affidavit.
The couple’s children, ages 8 and 12, were inside the home and escaped unharmed, according to the criminal complaint.
Dr. Evans was pronounced dead at the hospital at 1:42 a.m., and a Monroeville Police K-9 named Channy later located Hemingway two doors from the home wearing only underwear.
Authorities have not announced a motive, and Joseph said investigators were still trying to determine whether Hemingway and Dr. Evans knew each other.
“We do not know if there was any pre-existing relationship,” Joseph said. “The woman did not know this male. We are trying to determine if the two males knew each other.”
Bodycam footage obtained by WPXI showed Hemingway one week earlier running across cars in a Daytona parking lot and declaring, “I am King Tutankhamun.”
When a Florida officer asked whether Hemingway had any thoughts of harming himself or anyone else, he answered, “No, I am a spirit. I am not a physical being.”
Authorities said six of Hemingway’s 22 past criminal charges came from police encounters and a girlfriend, including three tied to the Florida parking lot episode and three involving allegations that he beat his girlfriend.
