Curtis Wickham Jr. Allegedly Murdered by Benjamin Spence, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
This source-based behavioral analysis does not establish a clinical diagnosis, motive, or legal finding.
The source portrays a rapidly escalating relationship conflict involving a former partner, a current partner, jealousy, threats, and a physical confrontation. The behavioral analysis is based on interviews, reported messages, investigative commentary, and family statements rather than clinical assessment. The source does not report a professional psychological diagnosis for any central participant.
Champaign maintained contact with CJ after their relationship ended while dating Benjamin Spence. Spence reportedly objected to CJ's presence and communications with Champaign, and the conflict intensified through confrontation, alleged threats, and a fatal encounter involving the dogs. The accounts remain disputed, particularly regarding who initiated the fight and whether Spence intentionally directed the dogs.
The reported pathway moved from overlapping romantic ties and jealousy to hostile confrontation, a prior threat, physical fighting, the dog attack, disputed post-incident assistance, and later evasion and arrest. The source supports an escalation pattern but does not independently prove psychological causation or criminal responsibility.
Each entry separates the reported behavior or state from the analytical strength of the available narration.
| Behavior / construct | Person / subject | Detailed case context | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jealousy Emotional state | Benjamin Spence AccusedLover of victim |
The reported romantic overlap created a perceived rival dynamic. Spence's statements about CJ being with Champaign and the reported reaction to the phone suggest distress associated with possible romantic competition. The source presents this as an investigative interpretation, not a clinical finding. Context or trigger: CJ's continued presence and communication with Champaign after their relationship ended. Reported expression: Spence reportedly confronted CJ about being in Champaign's bedroom and objected to CJ being at the home. Champaign later said ordinary messages between her and CJ might have angered Spence. |
Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: Moderate |
| Infidelity or competing attachment Relationship stressor | Champaign WitnessLover of offender |
The source describes an ongoing competing attachment rather than a clean transition between relationships. Champaign's continued contact with CJ appears to have remained central to the conflict with Spence. The exact status and boundaries of these relationships are not fully established. Context or trigger: Her former relationship with CJ continued through visits and communication while she was dating Spence. Reported expression: Champaign said she and CJ had dated, broke up, continued spending time together, and that CJ was welcome at her home. She also said she loved CJ. |
Explicitly reported Confidence: High |
| Chronic interpersonal conflict Relationship stressor | Benjamin Spence and Curtis Wickham Jr. |
The source describes conflict across at least two consecutive days rather than a wholly isolated encounter. The prior confrontation appears to have created a volatile context for the later dispute. The precise history of conflict is not fully documented. Context or trigger: Repeated tension over CJ's relationship with Champaign and his presence at the home. Reported expression: Spence said he confronted CJ the previous day, tried to get him to fight, and called him insulting names. The next day, the men became involved in a physical confrontation. |
Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: High |
| Emotional escalation Escalation | Benjamin Spence AccusedLover of victim |
The reported sequence suggests intensification from relationship-based anger to physical conflict and then a potentially lethal act involving the dogs. Spence denied intentionally directing them, so the specific behavioral interpretation remains disputed. The source supports escalation as a case pattern, not a definitive psychological explanation. Context or trigger: The reported fight with CJ and the perceived threat to Spence's relationship. Reported expression: Witnesses described Spence as enraged, and investigators interpreted the alleged command or pointing gesture as an escalation from fighting to directing the dogs. |
Analytical inference Confidence: Moderate |
| Instrumental aggression Offender behavior | Benjamin Spence AccusedLover of victim |
If the witness account is accurate, the dogs were used as a means of inflicting harm beyond the direct fight. Animal-control information that the dogs responded to commands was treated by investigators as relevant to this possibility. The source does not establish the allegation as adjudicated fact. Context or trigger: The alleged use of dogs during or immediately after the physical fight. Reported expression: A witness said Spence told the dogs “Sic him,” and detectives described the dogs as potentially being used like a weapon. Spence denied giving that command. |
Analytical inference Confidence: Moderate |
| Deception or concealment Behavioral pattern | Benjamin Spence AccusedLover of victim |
These reported behaviors affected investigators' assessment of the case and raised questions about concealment or avoidance. Refusing a consent search is not itself proof of wrongdoing, and the source does not establish that every action was intended to conceal evidence. The conduct is therefore described cautiously. Context or trigger: The immediate aftermath of the dog attack and the investigation. Reported expression: Spence placed the dogs in his vehicle, refused consent to a search, gave an account detectives described as inconsistent, and was later sought for approximately three weeks before arrest. |
Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: Moderate |
| Grief and bereavement Emotional state | Curtis Wickham Jr. VictimVictim |
The family statements show continuing bereavement after a sudden and traumatic loss. His mother's account focused on not being able to say goodbye, while later family members remembered his plans to recover from addiction and improve his life. No clinical diagnosis was reported. Context or trigger: CJ's violent death and the condition of his body after the attack. Reported expression: Family members described intense grief, difficulty identifying him, lack of closure, and a memorial gathering ten months after his death. |
Explicitly reported Confidence: High |
Select a stage to expand it; scroll horizontally to follow the full sequence.
The source reports that Champaign had dated CJ, later became involved with Benjamin Spence, and continued communication and contact with CJ after the breakup. This created the relationship structure that investigators characterized as a love triangle.
Spence reportedly objected to CJ being in Champaign's bedroom and reacted negatively to CJ's communications with her. The source presents this perceived rivalry as a central context for the later confrontation.
Champaign later provided a message reportedly sent the day before the death in which Spence threatened to stab CJ if he was present. This is a source-reported warning sign preceding the fatal encounter.
The accounts agree that a confrontation and physical fight occurred, although they dispute who initiated it and how CJ entered the home. The fight provided the immediate setting for the dog attack.
CJ was mauled by three pit bulls. A witness reported that Spence said “Sic him” and later pointed toward CJ, while Spence denied directing the dogs and claimed they reacted instinctively.
Champaign said Spence did not help CJ until it was too late and threw a television toward him after CJ had been pulled inside. Spence said he tried to stop the dogs, leaving the extent and meaning of his conduct disputed.
Spence was initially released while prosecutors reviewed the unusual evidence and was later sought for approximately three weeks before being arrested. The source does not establish his intent during that period.
Ten months later, CJ's family continued to describe grief and lack of closure. They remembered his plans to recover from addiction and expressed the belief that he had been deprived of an opportunity to change his life.
Arrows show the sequence described in the source narrative; they do not prove that one psychological state caused the next event.
The source is a television crime report assembled from interviews and investigative narration. Several accounts conflict, some witnesses are unnamed, and the source does not provide complete forensic records, clinical evaluations, or a final court determination. Psychological observations therefore remain source-limited and should not be treated as diagnoses or proof of motive.