Cops walk in as Buffalo man dismembers wife after shooting her to death
BUFFALO, NEW YORK: A man has been arrested and charged after police walked in on him dismembering his estranged wife after he had shot and killed her.
Police first responded to the Allen, Allegany County home of Philip Farren, 52, on Wednesday, April 22, after he called to complain that a neighbor had broken a window in his shed, according to Buffalo News.
It was an uneventful call, though Capt Jeff Rinaldo did reveal that his wife, Amber, had left in her car with her dog while they were still there.
Two days later, they made a welfare check at the same home and walked into a gruesome scene. Farren had shot and killed Amber and was dismembering her body as they arrived.
But neighbors said there were signs that all was not well. In a 31-second clip that a neighbor uploaded on Facebook, a woman believed to be Amber can be seen walking towards the police cars and asking for their "emergency assistance."
Another neighbor then approached the patrol car and complained that a man had just grabbed her and taken her into the house.
Rinaldo said both Farren and the victim then came out to the front porch and started talking to the officer as he approached the house. "While police are there, the woman, the victim, she makes a comment to police that the husband, he’s not acting right, he needs some help," he shared.
But Amber seemed fine when she talked to officers, according to Rinaldo. She did not allude to any domestic problem or that her husband was threatening her, but did say they were estranged. She also assured them he did not have any guns in the home.
When officers asked her what she wanted to do, she replied, "I just want to get my stuff and leave,'" the captain said. He added that they waited for her to drive away before they left the scene themselves.
"He didn’t act crazy, he didn’t threaten her, he didn't threaten police," Rinaldo insisted. "He wasn't acting bizarre."
But just two days later, the state police were called to the residence to check up on Amber's welfare and walked in on a horrific crime.
During questioning, Farren reportedly told them that the person who had requested the welfare check had left the area. That person then gave them additional information about the incident.
"Because they had already been there, they saw a couple things that would make sense with the information they were given and they were able to work with that to establish more of a case," said Trooper James J O'Callaghan.
The investigation revealed that the 52-year-old had shot and killed his wife earlier in the week. He has since been charged with first-degree manslaughter and is being held in the Allegany County Jail without bail.
A GoFundMe page set up by Amber's sister is looking to raise money for her funeral, with any extra proceeds to be donated to organizations fighting domestic violence. It has raised over $3,200 at the time of writing.