Wesley Webb: Pennsylvania Woman Records Own Murder With Smartphone
Police say a Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, woman turned her smartphone’s record feature on just moments before she was allegedly killed by her boyfriend.
People reports that Wesley Webb, 40, managed to record final moments of life on audio on May 2, when she managed to turn on an app program in her phone. Her boyfriend, Keith Robert Smith, 43, is accused of murdering the mother of two children after authorities matched his voice to the recording. The incident happened a little before 11:30 p.m., on the 300 block of Buckwalter Road, in the Schuylkill Township area of Chester County.
Mom Recorded Her Own Murder on Cell Phone: CHESTER COUNTY, Pa. — Wesley Webb was fighting with boyfriend Keith… https://t.co/BDHgBdAInv
— Des Moines Daily (@desmoinesdaily) May 12, 2016
Although the audio isn’t being released to the public, Chester County police stated that shortly after the sound of a gunshot, a man is heard saying,
“F*** you! How’s that? That’s where we just went!”
Prior to allegedly shooting her, Smith apparently noticed that Webb was trying to record with her phone.
“You want to record now, b***h?”
Authorities indicated that Webb was at home in Schuylkill Township, sitting on her couch, when Smith arrived home. Smith and Webb shared the home with three children, all of whom were home when the fatal shooting occurred, and all under the age of 14. Reportedly, Webb wanted to leave with two of the kids, which led to an argument that ended fatally. The children were awoken by the noise and called 911 after finding Webb’s lifeless body.
Prosecutors: Woman recorded sound of own slaying on phone: Wesley Webb, 40, was shot dead by Keith Smith at t… https://t.co/CrGZ8zJ7Bh
— whiteKnight (@_whiteKnight_xi) May 11, 2016
Smith attempted to take his own life, evidenced in the phone recording that continued on. He shot himself in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun, the same weapon used to shoot Webb. However, he was unsuccessful and detained by police just minutes after the suicide attempt.
Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan released a statement that Smith is charged with criminal homicide, child endangerment, murder, reckless endangerment, and weapons charges.
“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…..This was a savage, selfish and cowardly murder. The defendant was focused on killing his girlfriend. He callously ignored the fact that he was killing somebody who also was a mom, a sister, and a daughter.”
In 2012, Pennsylvania passed the Wiretap Act, which allows victims and/or witnesses to record oral communication without consent, which can be used as evidence during criminal proceedings. Prior to 2012, Webb’s recording might have been inadmissible in court.
A GoFundMe account was created last week to help out with funeral support for Madison and Matthew, Webb’s two children. According to the children’s aunt and uncle, Lee Fleishman and Wendy McFadden, the family is dealing with the loss of Wesley from a financial standpoint.
“Wendy and I both have stable jobs with decent pay, but we are wholly unprepared for such an event. We need some funds for both immediate needs of the children as well as wanting to start a college fund. We have some savings set aside for our younger son, but were not expecting or prepared to have teenagers so suddenly. We need to purchase things like additional beds, furniture, clothing, tuition to continue Madison’s dance classes, uniforms and equipment for sports, etc…….We are fighting for custody of the children to keep them safe, so legal fees may also be a factor at some point.”
Smith is scheduled to be transferred to the Chester County Prison when he is medically discharged, resulting from the injuries he developed from his suicide attempt.
[Photo by Chester County District Attorney’s Office via AP Images]
