Texas sheriff's deputy is arrested and charged with murdering his girlfriend and tampering with evidence after calling 911 claiming she shot herself in the head with his gun as they hugged
A North Texas sheriff's deputy has been arrested and charged with murder and evidence tampering for allegedly killing his girlfriend after claiming she died by suicide.
On Monday, Tarrant County Sheriff's deputy Jay Allen Rotter, 36, was arrested by Denton officers.
He was arrested following an investigation into the death of his girlfriend 46-year-old Leslie Lynn Hartman on August 26.
On the day of her death Rotter called 911 in Denton around 11.34pm and reported that his girlfriend shot herself in their home on the 2400 block of Robinwood Lane, police say.
Tarrant County Sheriff's deputy Jay Allen Rotter, 36, (left) was arrested Monday accused of murdering his girlfriend Leslie Lynn Hartman, 46, (right) on August 26, despite calling 911 and claiming she committed suicide
He told police she shot herself in the head with his duty weapon as they hugged, according to NBCDFW.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office list her manner and cause of death as pending.
Denton police said Monday 'detectives executed search warrants and analyzed physical evidence' that led to them developing Rotter as a suspect in her death.
Rotter refused to give his cell phone in an interview with police and restored it to factory settings when he was in the interview room alone.
Police later seized his phone and a computer from the couple's home and performed forensic downloads of the data on both devices.
Investigators say that text messages recovered from the phone showed a conversation between Rotter and Hartman where she suggested he was in a 'mood' and 'would need to sort himself out tonight due to the fact Rotter is having trouble with the amount of drugs he was consuming', according to the affidavit.
He called police on August 26 claiming his girlfriend committed suicide by shooting herself in the head with his duty gun while they were hugging. Investigators said he was active on the chatroom Discord where he posed with a gun and posted 'I just sent a 9 millie in this f***in hippie' before calling 911. Hartman pictured above
A search of his computer at the home showed that he was active on the instant messaging platform Discord where he talked about shooting a 'milk bomb' with his gun and later alluded to shooting a 'hippie', which investigators believe meant Hartman.
At 11.08pm Rotter posted a photo of himself holding a Glock pistol after shooting the 'milk bomb'.
Investigators found a shot milk carton, which they believe was the 'milk bomb' he shot, and found a shell casing in the backyard.
At 11.13pm his Discord chat record showed he and Hartman were fighting about him firing the gun in the backyard.
At 11.14 detectives found a message that said, 'I just sent a 9 millie in this f***in hippie.'
Police pictured at the scene of the couple's home on the 2400 block of Robinwood Lane in Denton, Texas
A view of the home where the shooting took place above
Detectives believed he was referring to Hartman and her 'lifestyle as a person who is eco-friendly, nature lover and her use pf psychedelic drugs.'
He then called 911 around 11.34pm.
Rotter reportedly said 'she is done' and he 'would have stopped her if he could have'.
Hartman’s neighbors remembered her as an outgoing, happy person who remained independent even though a car accident years ago left her unable to walk.
'She was artistic, a good neighbor, loved animals. She had actually just adopted a new puppy, so it didn't add up,' neighbor Chrissie Clanton said.
He has been with the sheriff's office since 2005 and worked in the narcotics division.
Rotter was being held Tuesday in the Denton County Jail on $1.15million bond. Jail and court records do not list an attorney for him.
Lt. Jennifer Gabbert said Rotter is on currently leave and is likely to be suspended without pay Wednesday.
Sheriff Bill Waybourn said in a statement that he and his staff are 'shocked and saddened.'
'We believe in the criminal justice process and the truth will prevail,' Waybourn said.
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