Bonds of more than $1 million set for couple booked in murder of Chalmette man; Arrested woman admits she was in victim’s apartment and says the male suspect came in and struck him

Bonds of more than $1 million have been set for a couple booked in the murder of a 68-year-old Chalmette man found stabbed in his apartment on Sunday, Jan. 6.

Booked Sunday evening with first-degree murder were Shari Head, 43, a known friend of the victim, and Chris Geeting, 39, who Head allegedly had been staying with at a Chalmette trailer park where they were both found packing up a truck to leave on Sunday, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

They are accused of killing Joseph Spurlock, a security guard, who lived in an apartment in the 3300 block of LaPlace Drive.

Geeting, who has served prison time for drug and theft convictions, has a bond of $1.5 million. Head, who has a criminal history including prostitution arrests, theft and had a warrant out for her arrest in New Orleans on an armed robbery charge, has a bond set at $1.25 million.

St. Bernard authorities have also released more details about the murder investigation.

Head had an on and off relationship with the victim, Joseph Spurlock, knowing him at least more than a year because in 2011 he filed a police report alleging Head had taken his vehicle without permission. She retunred the vehicle, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Head, under questioning by sheriff’s detectives, has admitted she was in Spurlock’s apartment with him early Friday morning, Jan. 4, and alleged Geeting came in and struck Spurlock to the head, according to Col. John Doran, who commands all enforcement personnel for the Sheriff’s Office.

Head also admitted to detectives that when Spurlock was struck by Geeting she ran from the apartment with the keys to the victim’s SUV, which she drove off in, and further said she returned to the apartment at a later time to see what happened and found Spurlock dead. She also admitted taking items at that time including the victim’s credit cards and jewelry, Doran said in an interview with a local television station.

Geeting has denied any involvement, saying he was never in the victim’s apartment.

Investigators believe Spurlock was killed in those early hours of Friday morning.

“We believe Geeting was waiting (outside the victim’s apartment), and that he and Head arrived there together,’’ Doran said. Head was with Spurlock in the bedroom “and Geeting came in and pounced on him,” Doran said.

He said witnesses reported seeing Spurlock’s SUV parked at his residence during the day Saturday, Jan. 5, which fits her story of going back there.

There were also numerous purchases made with the victim’s credit card and detectives believe Head and Geeting were buying items and trading them for drugs in New Orleans, Doran said.

After it was learned on Sunday that Head was a friend of Spurlock, and that she and Geeting had been arrested for shoplifting in St. Tammany Parish recently and listed their address as a Chalmette trailer park on Laura Drive, detectives headed there to find and question them.

Sheriff Pohlmann was being informed of the investigation details after Spurlock’s body was found about noon Sunday and the sheriff and Lt. Robert Broadhead were the first Sheriff’s Office representatives to arrive at the trailer park. They saw Head and Geeting packing up a pickup truck outside a trailer and stopped them for questioning as they were about to leave.

The two suspects had the victim’s credit card and debit card when they were stopped at the trailer park, the sheriff said.

“Fast work in checking out leads led to a quick arrest in this murder case,” Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The sheriff said a woman who worked with Spurlock was instrumental in helping make a quick arrest because she reported to the Sheriff’s Office Sunday that his apartment needed to be checked because he hadn’t been to work since he got off early Friday, saying it wasn’t like him to be absent without a reason.