A 76-year-old father allegedly gunned down his wife and daughter in their Pennsylvania home following a heated argument with them while he was cleaning his gun.
Roger Hanks was taken into custody Thursday night in East Marlborough Township after police discovered the bodies of his wife, Judith Hanks, 75, and his daughter, Emily Hanks, 37, dead from gunshot wounds, according to the Chester County District Attorney’s office.
The accused killer “senselessly shot and killed his family because of a basic dispute,” Chester County District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe said.
Roger Hanks had been cleaning his 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun at home at around 3 p.m. when an argument ensued between himself and his wife, according to Fox43, citing charging documents
At one point during the argument, he allegedly told his wife, “If you keep up, this thing is going to go off on you.”
As their dispute continued, Roger Hanks allegedly pointed the handgun at her, telling her “if she did not shut and leave him alone he was going to ‘plug’ her.”
His gun then went off and fatally struck his wife in the chest, according to the documents.
Emily Hanks witnessed her mother fall to the floor and “went into a rage.”
He is accused of then shooting his daughter once through the chest while she ran at him “with vengeance.”
Hanks allegedly admitted to his neighbor that he killed his family, prompting her to call the police at around 6 p.m., the outlet reported.
Roger Hanks was taken into custody without incident and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and related offenses, court records show.
Soon after, medics arrived in hopes to save the mother and daughter, but they were both pronounced dead at the scene.
He allegedly told investigators that he was aiming for both their chests when he fired the handgun.
The alleged murderous father then seemingly boasted to police that he was “best of the best” when it came to shooting — adding that he often shoots competitions, according to the outlet.
“It is unfathomable that anyone would react this way,” de Barrena-Sarobe said.
He is currently being held at the Chester County Prison without bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 8, 2024.
If found guilty of the two counts of first-degree murder, Roger Hanks could life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
Capital punishment is a legal punishment in Pennsylvania, but the state has not carried out an execution since 1999.
