A woman was found shot to death minutes after calling police.
Julie Matte called police. Minutes later, she was found shot to death inside her home.
What she said during that phone call may not be publicly known after Warren County refused a request by lehighvalleylive.com to release the recording of the 911 call.
Edward Aghahowa and Julie Matte (Facebook photo)Matte, 46, of Cherry Tree Lane in Blairstown Township, died of six gunshot wounds, according to an autopsy report released this week. Her husband, 55-year-old Edward Aghahowa, was found hours later at a campground six miles away -- he had fatally shot himself, authorities said.
The day of the murder-suicide, the Warren County prosecutor said Matte had called 911 and told the operator that Aghahowa was shooting at her.
However, the county, in a letter dated Nov. 3, said that releasing the recordings -- requested through New Jersey's Open Public Records Act -- would violate the privacy of the victim's family and that the government must protect personal information. The response also described the contents of the requested recording as "the victim reporting to the dispatcher that she had been physically assaulted by her husband and that she was being shot at."
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"The record at issue is exempt from disclosure as it reflects a deeply personal and private moment for the victim and the victim's family to which they have a compelling interest in maintaining as private," county attorney Joseph J. Bell wrote. "The victim's family has specifically requested that this record remain private and not be disclosed to the public."
Bell also said there is an exception in the law for domestic violence victims.
Lehighvalleylive.com is considering an appeal of the county's decision.
The county has released 911 recordings before: They helped shed light on the decision by Phillipsburg police officers to storm a home in 2014 where they fatally shot a mentally ill man, 36-year-old Thomas Read.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.