Doug Stewart accomplice out of jail

CENTREVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) - On the one-year anniversary of Doug Stewart’s conviction for murdering his wife, Stewart’s accomplice is a free man.

Ricky Spencer, the man who testified he pretended to be Doug Stewart in order to give his friend an alibi for the day of the murder, served eight months of a one-year sentence in county jail.

Family members received an email from the Michigan Crime Victim Notification Network Sunday informing them Spencer was no longer behind bars.

St. Joseph County prosecutor John McDonough told 24 Hour News 8 the likely reason Spencer was released early is because county jail policy is to give inmates five days off their sentence for each month of good behavior. Spencer was also a jail trustee. Trustees can get more time off their sentence than regular inmates.

The St Joseph County Sheriff’s Department and the prosecutor wouldn’t release the exact time of Spencer’s release.

During his time in jail, 24 Hour News 8 requested interviews with Spencer but he declined all media interviews while behind bars.

Venus Stewart was last seen alive in the morning of April 26, 2010. Doug Stewart was sentenced in April 2011 to life in prison without the possibility of parole

Friends and family members of Venus Stewart describe the news as a “slap in the face.”  

When 24 Hour News 8 spoke with 
Venus Stewart’s aunt late last month, Mary Ellen Hopkins said, "You gotta be kidding me...I mean, he literally got away with murder."

Hopkins also told 24 Hour News 8 she wants to talk to Spencer, face-to-face.

"I'd like to listen to what he had to say," said Hopkins. "Even if Doug did tell him a lie, I know Doug told him something. They talked too often and too long."

Spencer testified against Doug Stewart during his trial in 2011. He told a packed courtroom that he had pretended to be Stewart in Virginia. Spencer said he, among other things, paid Doug Stewart's bills and wore his clothes.

While Spencer was in Virginia in April 2010, he said Stewart went to Michigan to kill his wife.

He knew what was going to happen, and testified during Stewart’s murder trial that Doug Stewart called him when it was done.

"'OK dude, it's done,'" Spencer testified Stewart told him.. "I was kind of shocked to hear that. I said, 'What happened?' And he said that he called Venus' parents' house in Michigan and said that he was the mail man, had a package for her. He jumped out and he said that there was a scream. She only screamed once (he said). She tried putting up a fight, but he was able to get her in a headlock and a drop of blood came from her nose."

Prosecutor McDonough said he understands Venus' family is upset with the sentence and that he's sympathetic. He said Spencer's plea deal was the hardest decision he's ever made as prosecutor, but he thinks the sentence fit Spencer's crime.

He said he's confident no one in law enforcement will have a problem with Spencer again.

He also told 24 Hour News 8 he does not recommend that any other jurisdiction prosecute Spencer. Since Spencer's crimes crossed state lines, he could have been prosecuted federally and/or in Virginia for his role in the murder.