"I’ll go to prison over this but it’s worth it."
That is what 55-year-old William Cox told 9-1-1 dispatchers when he called to report that he had shot and killed Ryan Matthew Abner outside his home on Forest Circle Drive Monday afternoon.
Cox went on to tell dispatchers that Abner had hit his daughter with whom Abner had a child.
"He’d been hitting her, beating her up," Cox is heard telling dispatchers in the 9-1-1 call, which may be heard at www.thenewsjournal.com. "I just got tired of it."
Police were called to the scene about 1:45 in response to multiple complaints of shots fired. Upon arrival, Corbin Police Detective Sgt. Rusty Hedrick said they found 21-year-old Abner dead inside the Chevy Equinox SUV, which was stopped in the middle of the street.
Later in the tape, Cox’s daughter, whom police said is 15 years old, is heard in the background crying hysterically.
"What did you do to my husband?" The girl screamed at Cox. "You killed him. I hate you.
"I’m glad he is dead," Cox replied. "He won’t hurt nobody else."
Corbin Police Detective Bill Rose said Abner and the girl may have been engaged, but there is no indication they were married.
According to witness statements, Hedrick said Cox had been standing in a neighbor’s driveway when Abner and Cox’s daughter along with their child came by in the SUV.
A verbal argument ensued between Cox and Abner and as Abner drove off, Cox fired one round from a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun into the right rear of the SUV.
"Cox had apparently borrowed the gun from a neighbor," Hedrick said.
He later told dispatchers that he had returned the gun to the neighbor, whom he identified as Joe Dobson, after the shooting.
Rose said Cox and Dobson had been talking about Cox buying the gun for some time prior to the incident. However, police will be speaking with Whitley County Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble to determine whether criminal charges are warranted against Dobson.
Abner got out of the vehicle and began cursing Cox. When Cox began moving toward the vehicle, Abner jumped back in and began to leave.
"Cox ran up to the vehicle and fired multiple rounds through the driver’s side window, striking Abner in the head," Hedrick said. "Cox then went to a neighbor’s house and called 9-1-1 to report the shooting.
"No, he’s dead," Cox is heard telling dispatchers when asked about Abner’s condition. "I shot him good and made sure he’s dead."
Abner was pronounced dead at the scene while Cox was taken into custody.
Cox has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of wanton endangerment.
At his arraignment Tuesday in Whitley District Court, Cox pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is being held in the Whitley County Detention Center on a $250,000 cash bond.
Hedrick said Cox’s daughter was not injured. A neighbor took care of the couple’s child while the teen was found waiting near the scene when police arrived.
Other neighbors indicated that police were called out to the home at 1103 Forest Circle on a regular basis. Hedrick said investigators are reviewing logs from Corbin dispatch to confirm those statements.
"One neighbor reported it has been going on for as long as two months," Hedrick said.
