Dad, 76, allegedly killed wife and daughter during dispute while cleaning gun

Roger Hanks was taken into custody Thursday night for the killing of his wife and daughter.

A 76-year-old father allegedly shot and killed his wife and daughter in their Pennsylvania home following a heated argument with them while cleaning his gun.

Roger Hanks was taken into custody Thursday night in East Marlborough Township after police discovered the bodies of his wife, Judith Hanks, 75, and his daughter, Emily Hanks, 37, dead from gunshot wounds, according to the Chester County District Attorney’s office.

After being found in his garage and taken into custody, Hanks (pictured right) admitted that he had shot his wife Judith (left) and daughter, Emily, 37

The accused killer "senselessly shot and killed his family because of a basic dispute," said Chester County District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe.

Roger Hanks had been cleaning his 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun at home around 3 p.m. when an argument broke out between himself and his wife, as per Fox43, citing charging documents.

Roger Hanks had been cleaning his 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun at home at around 3 p.m. when an argument ensued between himself and his wife.

During the argument, he allegedly warned his wife, "If you keep this up, this thing is going to go off on you." As the dispute continued, he purportedly aimed the handgun at her, threatening that "if she did not shut up and leave him alone, he was going to ‘plug’ her."

The gun then discharged, fatally striking his wife in the chest, according to the documents.

Emily Hanks witnessed her mother fall to the floor and "went into a rage."

When Judith (left) fell to the ground after the gunshot, Emily (right) 'went into a rage.' This caused Hanks to then point the gun at his daughter and it went off again, this time knocking her down

He is accused of then shooting his daughter once through the chest as she ran at him "with vengeance."

Hanks allegedly confessed to his neighbor that he killed his family, leading her to call the police around 6 p.m., the outlet reported.

Roger Hanks was taken into custody without incident and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and related offenses, according to court records.

Medics arrived soon after in an attempt to save the mother and daughter, but they were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Hanks is accused of shooting both his wife and daughter in the chest

He reportedly told investigators that he was aiming for both their chests when he fired the handgun. The alleged killer then seemingly bragged to police about his shooting skills, claiming he was the "best of the best" in shooting competitions, according to the outlet.

"It is unfathomable that anyone would react this way," de Barrena-Sarobe said.

He is currently held at the Chester County Prison without bail, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 8, 2024.

Hanks had allegedly pointed the gun at his wife and told her 'if she did not shut and leave him alone that he was going to 'plug' her,' documents showed

If found guilty of the two counts of first-degree murder, Roger Hanks could face life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

While capital punishment is legal in Pennsylvania, the state has not executed anyone since 1999.

Hanks confessed that he had gotten into an argument with Judith (pictured) while cleaning his gun and told her 'if you keep up this thing is going to go off on you.'