50°
Roger Lee Hanks has been charged with two counts of felony homicide and other murder charges after killing his wife, Judith, 75, and daughter, Emily, 37, over a "basic dispute" at the dinner table on Thursday, April 25, as previously reported by Daily Voice.
Judith's Instagram page portrays a very different life from the events that unfolded in their East Marlborough Township home on Thursday evening, April 25.
With lipstick on her lips or a glass of wine in hand in every photo, Judith appears relaxed. She poses with Emily, her Boston terrier, Maxwell, and her husband, who has ties to Virginia. Broadway shows, morning strolls at nature preserves, and trips to lakes in Michigan were a regular part of the Hanks' blissful life.
"Taking my man out for Father's Day," Judy captioned one selfie with Roger shared nearly eight years ago.
"Lovely way to spend a Fall morning," she captured a collage with the whole family at a walk through a nature preserve.
The last time Judith shared a snippet of life was in September 2021, honoring her "favorite" daughter Emily.
Records show Emily was living in Chicago and, according to LinkedIn, was working as a consulting director in risk management for an insurance company.
On Thursday evening, following a 911 call to the shooting, troopers were sent to the family's home in the 200 block of Wiltshire Drive, where they found Emily and Judith unresponsive with gunshot wounds, as previously reported by Daily Voice.
During an interview with detectives, Roger said "Judy" had started the argument by saying, "He doesn’t do anything, just sits in the chair," according to the affidavit for probable cause. During dinner, Judy had complained that Roger wasn't eating his food. That's when he threatened to shoot her and eventually did, with the gun he claimed he did not know was loaded, as explained in the affidavit.
That's when Emily went into a "rage" and Roger says he realized what he'd done. And so, he shot her too, according to the affidavit.
Hanks called someone, telling them he "went crazy" and killed his wife and daughter, and that's who ended up calling 911, as stated in the affidavit.
Hanks was found in the home's garage when police arrived, as Daily Voice initially reported. His preliminary arrangement was on Friday, April 26, where he was denied bail per state law on the charges, as detailed in his court docket. He has been held in the Chester County Prison.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 8, 2024.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Lower Merion-Narberth and receive free news updates.
