Brutal Killing Of Schuylkill Township Woman Was Recorded On Phone: DA

PHOENIXVILLE, PA -- A Schuylkill Township man has been charged with murder after he shot and killed his girlfriend, a mother of two, on May 2, the Chester County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.

During a domestic argument, Wesley Webb attempted to leave the home with her two children, the DA said.

But Keith Smith, her boyfriend, pulled out a shotgun and shot her once in the chest while she sat on a couch in the living room, according to the DA.

Smith then reloaded and shot himself in the face in a suicide attempt that ultimately failed.

Before she died, Webb activated the audio recorder on her phone, and the sounds of the killing were captured, the DA said.

"You want to record it now, (expletive)?" Smith allegedly said after he shot Webb. "How's that. That's just where we went."

The incident is a particularly "jarring" one for this community, said Schuylkill Police Chief James Fetterman.

"Schuylkill Township has not had a homicide in decades," Fetterman noted. "We are a safe community."

The incident occurred at the home of the victim and the suspect on 322 Buckwalter Road, near Bob's Haven Deli and just across the road from the University of Valley Forge.

After the shooting, the children, all under the age of 14, came downstairs and discovered the scene, the DA said. They called 911 immediately.

Smith was coherent enough when police arrived to tell them that he shot Webb and then tried to kill himself, according to the DA.

Smith is ineligible for bail due to the nature of the crime, the DA said. He will be sent to Chester County Prison when he is medically cleared.

"He (Smith) callously ignored the fact that he was also killing somebody who was a mom, a sister, and a daughter."

A GoFundMe page has been established for Webb's children, who will be cared for now by her sister and her sister's husband. More than $24,000 has already been raised.

"The amount of support that we have received for Wesley and the kids has been overwhelming," the family said on the fundraising page.

Anyone with any information relating to this case is asked to contact Chester County Detective Christine Bleiler at 610-344-6866.

Image courtesy Chester County District Attorney's Office.