Michael Joseph Work reportedly was angry at his girlfriend when he shot her three times in the head and killed her Monday night.
Brandi Marie Genova, 33, was at home with Work and their 4-year-old son in Bessemer when an evening argument between them quickly turned into a tragedy.
State police arrested the 33-year-old Work in connection with her death and he is in the Lawrence County jail without bond.
Deputy County Coroner Anthony “Bo” DeCarbo pronounced Genova dead at the scene. He said he observed multiple gunshot wounds, and that an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday evening at Heritage Valley Health System in Beaver County.
The state police received a call around 8:45 p.m. that Work shot Genova in the head multiple times in the living room of their home at 13 Bestview Ave., according to a criminal complaint.
Work then went to the Walmart plaza in Union Township where he surrendered himself to police. When state troopers went to arrest him, he dropped to the ground in a prone position. When they handcuffed him, he had blood on his hands and on his work pants, the report said.
He told the police the gun he had used was in his truck, a white Dodge Ram. Police read him his rights and agreed to answer questions without an attorney present, the complaint states. He told police the blood on his pants was Genova’s. He told her they argued over a cell phone and he shot her three times in the head and she was dead, the report said.
He also told family members he shot her after an argument. Bessemer Borough officers and state police troopers went to their house and forced their way inside through the back door.
They found Genova dead in the living room.
The responding state troopers activated the agency’s Troop D major case team, who processed the scene, obtained search warrants and interviewed Work. He told police he used a Springfield Hellcat 9-millimeter gun to shoot Genova.
He told police the argument was about infidelity issues, and he had confronted her about other relationships after looking through her phone and finding messages from other men. He said they got into a tussle and she pushed him in the chest. Work said he then took out his gun and shot her in the head in the living room while she was standing near the sofa.
He said he took their 4-year-old son and put him in his pickup truck, got his dog and went back inside to get Genova’s cell phone. He said he then called a family member and told her he needed to talk to her and she said she was at Walmart. He went to Walmart and told her he shot Genova. The family member talked him into surrendering to police, the court papers state.
District Judge Melissa A. Amodie conducted a video arraignment of Work on Tuesday morning on charges of criminal homicide and possession of a gun. He is in the Lawrence County jail without bond.
Suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty or adjudicated in court.