Mom charged with murder

Photo: Contributed

Investigators released an emotional 911 recording Wednesday of a Phoenix woman saying her two-year-old son had shot her nine-year-old son and listening to instructions on how to try to revive the wounded child.

Wendy Lavarnia, who was later charged with murder along with her husband in their son Landen's death, sounded frantic when she reported the March 20 shooting, saying her younger son found a handgun that she left on the bed and accidentally shot his older brother in the head.

"He was shot in the head — he is nine years old — by his baby brother," the mother told a Fire Department operator. "I got my gun down and left it on the bed like an idiot. And my son — I didn't think he could fire it, and he shot it."

Police became suspicious when they found inconsistencies in the mother's account. Authorities say the parents were charged with first-degree murder because they delayed medical care for the child while they cleaned up evidence in the house.

Police spokesman Sgt. Vince Lewis said Wednesday that the investigation hasn't revealed who fired the shot that killed the boy.

Wendy and Kansas Lavarnia have pleaded not guilty. Clare Schum, an attorney representing the mother, and Jamie Jackson, a lawyer for the father, didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.