HILLSBORO, Ore. (KOIN) — The man who shot and killed his wife on Christmas night sent a message to the victim’s sister shortly after the homicide and said “I killed your sister.”
The new information was released Tuesday by the Washington County District Attorney’s Office following its review of the murder of 24-year-old Katelynn Armand-Tylka.
The suspect, James Tylka, would have been prosecuted for murder, according to a memorandum submitted by senior deputy district attorney Bracken McKey.
James Tylka, however, was shot and killed by authorities after he attempted to kill Oregon State Police Trooper Nic Cederberg.
Cederberg was recently released from the hospital. Detectives are continuing their investigation following the shooting of Cederberg.
According to the district attorney’s office, James and Katelynn married in December 2014 and had a daughter. At the time of Katelynn’s death, she and Tylka were separated but “remained in contact for their daughter’s sake.”
Friends and family reported a “tumultuous relationship” with a history of domestic violence, according to McKey’s memo.
“Tylka sent Katelynn hundreds of text messages…threatening to kill her,” the memo states.
Other text messages from Tylka included him “begging” Katelynn to take him back.
Records show that that around 1:30 p.m. on December 24 Tylka purchased a 9mm Springfield XD Mod. 2 handgun from a private seller in Portland. He also purchased ear plugs and 9mm ammo from a local sporting goods store.
On December 25, Tylka changed his Facebook profile picture to a wedding day photo of himself and Katelynn.
Katelynn was scheduled to work that night, according to the DA’s Office.
Around 10:10 p.m., Katelynn dropped off her daughter in the 11900 block of Southwest King James Place in King City where Tylka lived with his mother and step-father, according to the DA’s Office.
Tylka removed his daughter from the car and placed her in the home’s entry way.
“He then walked back to the car and shot Katelynn eight times with the newly purchased 9 mm handgun,” McKey wrote.
Six of the rounds hit Katelynn in the chest, two hit her in the head, according to the DA’s Office.
About 10 minutes after the shooting, Tylka called one of Katelynn’s close friends and said that he’d shot Katelynn.
At 10:48 p.m. on Dec. 25, Tylka sent the text message to Katelynn’s sister confessing to the crime.
When detectives searched Katelynn’s car, they found a restraining order that had been prepared by Katelynn. There were also two cards from Tylka addressed to Katelynn. One was an anniversary card with a handwritten note that read, in part, “I am sorry for what I am about to do.”
The Domestic Violence Hotline is available to help people who are concerned for their safety. The hotline can be reached at 1800.799.7233. Locally, people can call the Washington County Domestic Violence Resource Center at 503.640.5352