

An estranged husband is the suspected gunman who shot and killed a Texas woman (his soon to be ex-wife), and seven of her friends Sunday night. Police responded by shooting the gunman dead at the scene of the rampage. Spencer Hight, 32, is accused of killing Meredith Lane Hight and seven unidentified victims at Lane’s home on on West Spring Creek Parkway in Plano, Texas. One victim survived the shooting spree.

At the time, Spencer and Meredith were going through a divorce, according to court records. The estranged pair both owned the house. However, Spencer had not been living there since March, according to the Dallas Morning News. Meredith’s mother, Debbie Lane, told the newspaper that her daughter hosted an NFL viewing party to watch her favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons, play Sunday afternoon. The party would extend into the evening to watch a Dallas Cowboys game.

According to KXAS-TV, the shooting occurred on the 1700 block of West Spring Creek Parkway, near Custer Road, at about 8 P.M. on Sunday.

“This is still very fresh and a very active investigation,” Plano Police Chief Gregory Rushin said Monday afternoon at a press conference. “We’re still out there at the scene processing the scene, we have witnesses still to interview. I would ask everyone to keep the family members and the loved ones of the shooting victims in your thoughts and prayers. This is a very difficult time for them and for our first responders and for our entire community.”

Meredith was shot and killed at the first party she hosted since separating from her husband. Sunday night football between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys quickly turned to carnage.

“She was a cook, and a quite fine one, and she loved hosting friends and families,” Debbie Lane told WFAA-TV. “This was her first opportunity to do it after the divorce and he didn’t take it well.”

Police Chief Greg Rushin told reporters, “They were having a cookout that afternoon and they were getting prepared to watch the Cowboys football game. There was a party at the residence. Any time you have a homicide it’s disturbing, and certainly when you have this many, we’ve never seen anything like this in our city before. Many times you do see family violence situations that occur in many cities across the country, and those can become very volatile very quickly.”

Crystal Sugg, a witness of the shooting, claims to have seen a man and woman arguing at about 7:45 P.M.

“A man was arguing with a woman. They were standing outside and they were arguing,” Sugg said. “And as they were arguing you could kind of hear little pieces of it, but you really couldn’t. And as they were arguing, the woman was trying to go back in. And as she was going back in the house, you seen the man pull out his gun and just start releasing. So as he released I ran back in, because I didn’t want to get hit by nothing. But he just started letting them go.”

Witnesses claim that they heard 30 to 40 gunshot going off within Meredith’s house.

What Happened Between Spencer and Meredith?

On July 17, Meredith Lane Spencer filed for divorce against her husband, according to Collin County court records. At the moment, the case is still pending in the 470th District Court, but will likely be closed as the 27-year-old was allegedly shot dead by her estranged husband. Logan Odeneal was to act as Lane’s attorney, while Spencer acted as his own attorney.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Meredith Hight cited “discord or conflict of personalities” in her divorce filing. The estranged couple didn’t have any children together.

By March 2017, Spencer had moved out. And by May, Meredith was already looking for a roommate to live with her. According to her social media posts, she worked both as a model and for an independent sales company. She was also looking for someone to help with her expenses, so she put up an ad to rent a room in her house.

Facebook

“Who needs a place to live? (3bd/2ba house w yard and garage) I’m needing some help with the bills starting anywhere from 2 weeks from now to a month or so, but need a roommate by July,” she wrote. “Some things to remember: 2 large pitbulls live here, and they only do well with other large dogs. I would need our animals to meet before committing to any agreement. No kids (sorry not sorry, I love your kids but they would not love it here). I intend to fix this place up and rent or sell down the line so lease terms would be short term to six months at a time.”

It’s not clear whether or not that roommate was present during the time of the shooting.

Spencer and Meredith got married back in 2011. Their relationship ended in violence.

Happy 2nd Anniversary to my amazing husband!! I can’t believe it has already been 2 years since we had our epic cruise and wedding day in #jamaica! Planning a cruise to Europe for the 3rd anniversary!

Here’s what Meredith wrote on her Facebook regarding her relationship with Spencer back in 2013: “Happy 2nd Anniversary to my amazing husband!! I can’t believe it has already been 2 years since we had our epic cruise and wedding day in #jamaica! Planning a cruise to Europe for the 3rd anniversary!”

More About Spencer Hight

Only hours before the shooting, Spencer went on Facebook to give advice to people regarding Hurricane Irma. Spencer wrote, “How best to weather a hurricane: Don’t live near the coast.”

Spencer also had a page on on Deviant Art, but hasn’t used his account in several years. He has his own YouTube channel, where he posted videos of his dog, and another video of himself playing the game Hurtworld.

Recently, Spencer took to Facebook to complain of back pain.

“Lack of sleep due to chronic back pain made for a pretty shitty holiday weekend. Here’s hoping the doctor can sort me out,” he wrote on September 5.

On August 1 he wrote, “Aaaand my back is f*cked…this pain med/muscle relaxer garbage the doctor put me on makes me a damn zombie. Don’t try to move heavy furniture without help people.”

In June, Hight claimed to have been cast in an acting role for a new Netflix film. He said that he was cast for new Coen brothers Western TV series, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. The film is set to debut in 2018, and it’s not clear whether or not he was filmed for the role.

“It’s official. I have been cast in the Coen brothers new western tv series and we start filming July 25th. Not sure if more excited or nervous,” he wrote, later adding, “I knew I was on board weeks ago but I just got the actual dates for filming and sent in my measurements for wardrobe. … I think it’s a small part but all I know is there’s a saloon scene and another unspecified scene they want me for. It’s in new mexico.”

Back in May, Spencer shared a meme of his ex-wife choking….

Facebook

“Well. Someone is bitter lol 😂,” a friend replied.

Earlier that month, he complained on Facebook about having to pay more for car insurance. “And the hits just keep on coming. This has been my toughest year to date,” he wrote. “Because of all the hail damage claims in the area they jacked my insurance up by over 30% even though I haven’t submitted a claim. Christ I hate this sh*t”

In April, Spencer took to Facebook to vent about his ex-wife leaving him “stranded at the airport.” He wrote, “Wonderful ex wife left me stranded at the airport after swearing all week she would pick me up…And now she’s ignoring my calls. Typical. Welcome back to Dallas.”

When friends were surprised to hear the reference “ex-wife,” Spencer responded by stating that, “Things have gone completely tits up over the last few months.”

That month, he posted a status on Facebook, possibly referencing his ex-wife who has red hair. Very easy to believe gingers are completely soulless now.

In February, High shared a story about a domestic violence case because “Sharing this because apparently the family of this scumbag is actually threatening people on fb who post this.”

