Police on Tuesday released a chilling 911 tape of the call Amanda Engelhardt made after her boyfriend allegedly stabbed three members of her family to death in the family's northwest suburban home Friday.
Listen to the call (Warning. This is unedited audio, and it is disturbing.)
The tape begins with Engelhardt calling police on a cell phone early Friday morning, telling the Hoffman Estates emergency dispatcher, "There's a lot of blood. I just need somebody to get here quick."
D’Andre Howard, 20, tied up various members of the family, stabbing Engelhardt's 57-year-old father and 73-year-old maternal grandmother to death, according to prosecutors. Her 18-year-old sister managed to fight back and stab Howard in the arm, but was also eventually killed, officials said. Engelhardt's 52-year-old mother was stabbed, but survives.
Engelhardt allegedly begged Howard to let her call 911, but he refused, pulling phone jacks out of the walls. He tried to clean up the blood, then allowed Engelhardt to call police with a cell phone about 6:45 a.m., according to police.
When the dispatcher asks Engelhardt to tell him what had happened, Howard, his voice slurred, gets on the line and says, "It already happened." Throughout the call, a baby -- the couple's 8-month-old daughter -- can be heard crying in the background. Howard then tells the dispatcher the woman he is talking to is "Amanda Engelhardt ... my finacee. We're getting married this summer."
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He then says, referring to Amanda's sister, "She was going for the knife and I stabbed her." When the dispatcher asks if Howard and Amanda's sister are the only two who are hurt, Howard answers, "No ... her dad." The dispatcher then asks where the father is, and Howard says, "He's dead."
The call ends when police arrive at the home.
