Man found guilty after strangling his mom, setting their house on fire in Houston County
A Houston County jury convicted a man of killing his mother and burning her house, according to William Kendall, Houston County’s district attorney
The trial on Spencer Brooks started Monday and, by Wednesday evening, a jury found him guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and arson at the first degree.
According to Kendall, in the early morning of Jan. 10, 2021, a fire broke out at a Clairmont Drive residence where Brooks and his mother, Lisa Brooks, lived. The Warner Robins Fire Department extinguished the fire and found his mother’s body. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
After investigating the fire, Captain Kevin Kendrick of the fire department discovered that five separate fires were intentionally set inside the house. One of those fires was set next to the body, Kendall said, and Brooks’ mother sustained fourth-degree burns on her body. An autopsy later revealed she had been strangled to death before her house was set on fire, he said.
Neighbor says Spencer Brooks was ‘erratic and demonic’
Trent Vanlannen, the Warner Robins Police Department detective who led the investigation, learned that two individuals had stopped by the house an hour before the fire. They said Brooks was at the house acting erratically, saying he was getting ready to burn the house down. The individuals went to the house to do drugs with Lisa Brooks but were told by Brooks that she was not home, according to Kendall.
Brooks attempted to follow the others when they left, but he was refused based on his erratic behavior. The individuals believed he was joking about setting the house on fire, said Kendall.
Brooks also interacted with some neighbors during the fire, according to Kendall. One neighbor reported that he was “erratic and demonic,” and smelled like diesel. Another neighbor and her child were approached by Brooks, who commented that he was going to be on the I.D. Channel, referencing murder mystery television shows, according to Kendall, the district attorney. For her daughter’s safety, she helped Brooks concoct an alibi, unaware that he had murdered his mother hours before.
After changing his clothes, Brooks returned to his house and watched the fire burn. At that time, Brooks was arrested by the police department after a brief struggle, according to Kendall.
Letters written by killer’s mom show strained relationship
Two letters written by Lisa Brooks were recovered at the house by the Warner Robins Police Department. According to those letters, the relationship between Brooks and his mother was strained. Lisa Brooks began to fear her son and he blamed her for his problems. Kendall also said that their relationship was strained due to financial issues after his mother had received an inheritance from a family member.
Court records show that Brooks will be sentenced on July 26 at 11 a.m. at the Houston County Courthouse. He’s facing life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“This was a difficult case,” said Assistant District Attorney Justin Duane. “It’s not often that a man strangles his own mother to death and then sets her house on fire.”
