Over the weekend, a horrifying case was reported to come out of the US in which a 40-year-old woman recorded her own murder at the hands of her partner on her mobile phone. The woman, Wesley Webb, was shot during a domestic argument with her 43-year-old partner, Keith Robert Smith, and activated an audio recording program on her phone just before it happened.
Police say that the recording includes the sound of a gunshot, and the shouts of Keith at Wesley. When Wesley activates the recording, Keith can be heard saying, “You want to record it now, bitch?” After firing the gun, he yells, “F*** you! How’s that? That’s where we just went”.
The couple have three children, all under 14, and police arrived at the scene after one of the children called the emergency line.
In a statement released by the police, Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan said, “This was a savage, selfish and cowardly murder.”
Keith Robert Smith was found at the scene of the crime alive, and has since been hospitalised and charged with murder, homicide, child endangerment and a weapons crime.
This sickening case highlights one of the key issues surrounding domestic violence – why it is so hard for women to leave a violent relationship. There is a stigma surrounding women who stay in abusive relationships, yet in America, women are 70 times more likely to be killed in the two weeks after leaving their partner than at any other time in the relationship. There are many complex factors at play, and this case represents a single example of a pleading cry for help from the inside.
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