It wasn’t a normal courtroom proceeding. Due to COVID-19, the judge sentenced Sparks virtually through Zoom with Spurlock’s family watching it on a laptop from the commonwealth’s attorney’s office.
Sparks, 25, agreed to the sentence in a hearing earlier this month in Garrard County Circuit Court with Judge Hunter Daugherty.
Sparks also pleaded guilty to charges of evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse as part of the deal. Those charges combine to carry a sentence of six years, which will run concurrent to the 50 years Sparks will serve for murder.
GARRARD COUNTY, Ky. (Court TV) 12/2/20- David Sparks will reportedly be sentenced on Dec. 17 after pleading guilty to murdering 23-year-old Savannah Spurlock. The young mother of four was last seen the early morning of January 4, 2019. Her remains were found six months later on property belonging to Sparks’ father.
ORIGINAL STORY 6/15/20
GARRARD COUNTY, Ky. (Court TV) – The mother of a murdered Kentucky woman is asking her daughter’s killer “why” as his trial looms ahead. 23-year-old Savannah Spurlock was last seen the early morning of January 4, 2019, at The Other Bar in Lexington. Surveillance video captured the young mother of four leaving with three men around 2:30 a.m., including a man named David Sparks. Shortly after, she made a FaceTime call to her mother while in a vehicle. That was the last time Ellen Spurlock saw her daughter alive.
Six months later, Savannah’s remains were found on property belonging to the father of David Sparks. He had reportedly called authorities when he noticed a foul odor. Savannah’s body was found in black plastic trash bags buried in a grave only 19-inches deep, according to authorities.
Police: Savannah Spurlock was found nude in a 19 inch deep grave, feet bound w shipping tape. @LEX18News pic.twitter.com/T0CAETuwqW
— Leigh Searcy (@LSearcLex) July 15, 2019
In a July 2019 hearing, investigators said a rug was also placed behind Savannah’s body. It’s believed the rug had come from Sparks’ bedroom, where blood matching Spurlock’s DNA was also reportedly found in a closet, according to WLEX.
Savannah Spurlock (L)/David Sparks (R) via WLEX
23-year-old David Sparks was arrested and ultimately charged with murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond.
In an interview, Ellen Spurlock said, “I want to know why you would do this to her, I mean I can’t imagine anybody just killing somebody…You didn’t even know her.”
