Alleged confession admissible in custody killing

Alleged confession admissible in custody killing

EASTON, Pa. (AP) — Prosecutors will be permitted to present the alleged recorded confession of a Pennsylvania woman accused of killing her estranged boyfriend the day before the former couple was due in court for a child custody hearing.

A Northampton County judge also ruled Thursday that prosecutors can pursue the death penalty for Elizabeth Collazo if she’s convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of Mark Werkheiser.

Investigators say Collazo shot Werkheiser six times as he slept inside his Williams Township home on March 15. They had a court date the following day over custody of their four children.

Defense attorneys had sought to bar prosecutors from presenting a recorded phone call in which Collazo allegedly told a friend she’d committed the killing.

Trial is set for next month.