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'I Killed Your Sister,' James Tylka Texted After Shooting His Wife Eight Times

"There were so many red flags," Deputy District Attorney tells Patch.

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"I shot her mom. I shot her. She screwed up my life. My whole life's been screwed up and I shot her and I'm gonna kill myself."

"I killed your sister."

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Those were messages from James Tylka shortly after he killed his wife on Christmas Day. He had shot her six times in the chest and twice in the head.

The first is what he told his mother and the second was a text he sent to his wife's sister.

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Those were just two of the details included in a memo by Washington County District Attorney Bracken McKey summing up his office's investigation into the murder of Katelynn Armand-Tylka. McKey says that if Tylka had survived, he would have been charged with murder.

"There were so many red flags," McKey tells Patch, making it clear that on some level maybe it was a tragedy that had been avoidable.

James and Katelyn had been married in December 2014 and had a daughter, Brynn.

It was not a great relationship, one that was punctuated "with a history of domestic violence - a history that is corroborated by other police investigations," McKey wrote.

The couple separated in 2015 but stayed in touch for the sake of Brynn.

"In the weeks leading up to her death, Tylka sent Katelynn hundreds of text messages, alternatively begging her to take him back, and threatening to kill her."

The afternoon of Christmas Eve, Tylka went to a private gun dealer in Portland bought a 9 mm Springfield XD Mod.2 handgun.

He then went to a sporting good store and bought ear plugs and 9 mm ammunition.

On Christmas morning, Tylka changed his Facebook profile image to a photo of Katelynn and him from their wedding day.

Katelynn was scheduled to work that night so she drove to the home on Southwest King James Place where Tylka lived with his mother and step-father to drop off Brynn.

It was around 10:10 p.m..

Tylka went out to the car, unbuckled Brynn from her car seat. He carried her to the entry way of the home and set her down.

He walked back toward the car, took out his gun, and shot his wife eight times - six times in the chest and twice in the head.

Tylka's mother heard the shots and ran outside to see what happened. She went to the car where James was now sitting. The engine was running.

She tapped on the window but he took off.

He called her a few moments later wanting to know if Katelynn was dead.

“I shot her mom. I shot her. She screwed up my life. My whole life’s been screwed up and I shot her and I’m gonna kill myself."

He then called one of Katelynn's close friends and told her what he had done.

He then called Katelynn's sister.

The police were called. Oregon State Police soon saw Tylka and gave chase.

Trooper Nic Cederberg was shot in an exchange of gunfire that left Tylka dead. Cederberg went home last week after 48 days in the hospital.


When police searched Armand's car - which Tylka had driven off in - they found a petition for a restraining order that she had filled out but not yet submitted. She wanted to make sure he would not be able to come near her.

There were also two cards from James to Katelynn. One was an anniversary card. In it, he wrote: "I am sorry for what I am about to do."

McKey says if there is any silver lining to this story it will be that more people in domestic violence situations reach out for help.

"Katelynn was 24 at the time of her murder," he says. "Each year, a significant number of Washington County’s homicides are domestic-violence related. If you have concerns for your own safety in a domestic relationship, help is available.

McKey points to several resources including: The Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233 and The Washington County’s Domestic Violence Resource Center at (503) 640-5352.

Photo Hayley Shelton via Facebook

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