Wesley Webb and her boyfriend, Keith Smith, were having an argument in their Schuylkill Township, Pa., living room last week when she activated her cellphone's audio recording function. The kids were upstairs, and things were getting heated.
In the ensuing moments, police say, Webb, 40, preserved the sounds of her own murder.
The dispute started after Webb told Smith she was going to leave with two of the children.
"You want to record it now, b---"? Smith, 43, can be heard yelling on tape, according to the Chester County District Attorney's Office. This was followed by the sound of gunshots, and another exclamation.
"(Expletive) you!" Smith said. "How's that. That's where we just went."
The couple's three children, all under the age of 14, came downstairs upon hearing the commotion. Their mother was dead, with a gunshot wound to the chest. Their father had allegedly shot himself in the face with his 12 gauge shotgun in a suicide attempt, but remained alive.
One of the kids called 911.
Smith, who was hospitalized in stable condition, has been charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, possessing an instrument of crime and endangering the welfare of children.
He will be transferred to prison after his medical treatment. He is not eligible for bail.
"This was a savage, selfish, and cowardly murder," Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said in a statement. "The defendant did not hesitate to kill his girlfriend. But he flinched when it came to killing himself. Now, the victim is dead, the defendant is alive, and three kids have been badly traumatized."
Smith has admitted to shooting Webb and himself, police said.
According to Schuylkill Police Chief James Fetterman, the homicide is the first the township has seen in decades. It is home to some 8,000 people, and host to several historic recreations of American Revolution-era buildings.
© 2016 The Washington Post
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