A 19-year-old Del City man accused of fatally stabbing his older brother during a video game argument has been bound over for trial on a first-degree murder charge. William Spencer is being held on a $10 million bond.
The case stems from a January 2026 domestic call that authorities say turned deadly inside a home near SE 44th Street. According to KOKH, William Spencer and his older brother, 25-year-old Nicholas Spencer, got into a fight over a video game that ended in a stabbing, according to police. Nicholas Spencer was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police say William Spencer called 911 himself, telling dispatchers that he had stabbed his brother.
Officers Responded to a Sunday Night Domestic Call
The City of Oklahoma City officially logged the killing as Homicide #6 of 2026, according to a city bulletin, which recorded that officers responded to the domestic call at 8:27 p.m. on Sunday, January 18, 2026. The Oklahoma City Police Department responded to the stabbing near SE 44th Street and South Bryant Avenue, per the seed reporting. Emergency responders transported Nicholas Spencer from the home to a local medical facility, where hospital staff officially pronounced him dead from multiple serious stab wounds, according to FOX 7 Austin.
Oklahoma City Police Department Master Sergeant Gary Knight described the incident to reporters as a “very tragic story,” explaining that it stemmed from two brothers playing video games before one became enraged, according to Law & Crime. William Spencer has been bound over for trial on a first-degree murder charge.
What Prosecutors Must Prove at Trial
Securing a first-degree murder conviction in Oklahoma requires prosecutors to prove what state law calls “malice aforethought,” defined under Oklahoma Statutes Title 21 Section 701.7 as the deliberate intention to unlawfully take a human life, according to the Overman Legal Group. That standard is expected to be central to Spencer's case, as defense arguments could push toward a lesser charge such as manslaughter if the killing is characterized as a sudden, heat-of-passion act rather than a premeditated one.
If convicted, Spencer would face the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole under Oklahoma Statutes Title 21 Section 701.9, according to a summary from Justia Law. Any prison sentence would also fall under Oklahoma's “85 Percent Rule,” which requires a convicted person to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole consideration, per the Law Firm of Oklahoma.
A Deadly Weekend in Oklahoma City
Nicholas Spencer's death came during a violent stretch for Oklahoma City, where four separate homicides occurred in under 24 hours that weekend, bringing the city's early 2026 total to six homicides in the first 19 days, according to the Oklahoma City Free Press. That cluster stood out against the city's broader trend, however. Oklahoma City recorded 74 homicides total in 2025, a 5 percent decline from 2024, per data compiled by Omnilert.
The case involved a domestic dispute that turned deadly. The broader context includes violent and firearm-related mortality in Oklahoma and nationally.
For now, William Spencer remains held on the $10 million bond as the case moves toward a trial that will hinge on whether prosecutors can establish the intent required for a first-degree murder conviction under Oklahoma law.
