VIDALIA — A 911 audio recording of the 8-year-old girl who found her mother’s body in a pool of blood was introduced into testimony Tuesday in the murder trial of a Natchez man accused of killing his estranged wife and her friend.

Before the second day of Curt Thornton’s murder trial was complete, several members of the victims’ families had left the courtroom as Seventh Judicial District Attorney Brad Burget began showing photographs of the two victims lying on the floor with blood surrounding them.

Burget introduced more than 190 pieces of evidence, including photographs, shell casings and the .44-caliber rifle Thornton allegedly used to kill his estranged wife Angela Thornton, 36, and John Tibbs, 36, at the Thornton’s 1649 Azalea Drive residence in Vidalia.

Burget began the day arguing that the case would not be a, “Who done it?” case, but rather, a “Why did he do it?” scenario.

On the day of the killings, police were called at approximately 7:30 a.m. April 6, 2016, by an 8-year-old girl who dialed 911, said Burget, who also later played the tape for jurors, bringing many family members present to tears.

“She tells the dispatcher, ‘My mom is on the floor. There is a lot of blood,’” Burget said. “The 911 tape is heart-wrenching. The little girl is scared (she and her little brother) are all alone.”

Later during the call, Curt Thornton’s sister, Kristin Thornton, arrives, and they go to Vidalia Police Department to give statements.

Burget said Kristin had received text messages from her brother in the early morning hours, which basically indicate he is responsible for the crime.

Six bullet casings were recovered from the scene, which first led police to believe the weapon used was a .44-caliber revolver, Burget said, but later when the weapon was recovered discovered it to be a rifle. Burget said Thornton bought the rifle from his uncle the day before the shooting.

Burget said Tibbs was shot once in his left shoulder and it traveled through his chest and came out his spine.

Angela Thornton was shot multiple times. The most telling injury, Burget said, is whoever killed her took the .44-caliber rifle and shot her in the back while she was on the ground. Burget said this is evident because a round was found on the floor under Angela Thornton’s stomach when she was turned over.

Within a matter of hours of officers arriving on scene, Burget said Curt Thornton was beginning to become a suspect.

Burget said, and later brought in two neighbors, who claimed to have heard loud noises like metal banging on metal between the hours of 3 to 4 a.m., and then someone driving off on what sounded like a Harley-Davidson style motorcycle. One neighbor and a coworker of Curtis Thornton said Thornton had recently bought a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Burget said when Vidalia Police Investigator Clint Robinson went to inform Tibbs’ mother that her son had been killed, the officer ran into some friends of Tibbs, They called Curt Thornton and Thornton answered, Burget said. Burget said Robinson and Thornton spoke by phone and agreed upon a location for Thornton to turn himself in.

As Robinson is en route to that destination — the Liberty Road Volunteer Fire Station — he received a call that Thornton has been captured by the Amite County Sheriff’s Office, Burget said.

When Thornton is pulled over for not wearing a motorcycle helmet, Burget said Thornton allegedly tells the deputy that he may be responsible for what happened in Vidalia.

After Robinson arrives, Thornton takes the law enforcement officers to the location where the gun is hidden and another location where his backpack and the motorcycle helmet were left, Burget said. After retrieval of the items, Burget said Thornton reportedly confesses to Robinson that he has killed his wife and another man.

Defense Attorney Darrell Hickman argued that Curt Thornton should be punished, but Hickman did not believe Thornton deserved life in prison.

Approximately nine years ago, Hickman said Curt Thornton met a woman and fell totally in love with her, adopted her child and the couple had a child of their own later.

Hickman said sometime last year, Curt Thornton discovered his wife was not who he thought she was. Hickman said Angela Thornton was having an affair with another man while Curt Thornton, a long-distance truck driver was working away from home for sometimes two months at a time,

Not only was Angela Thornton allegedly sleeping around, Hickman said, but she was having sex with men in the bed she shared with Curt Thornton.

Hickman said Curt Thornton was also sending money home to take care of the children and pay the bills, but learned the bills were not being paid and the home was almost in foreclosure. Hickman said Curt Thornton also discovered Angela Thornton had allegedly been taking illegal drugs — crystal meth and marijuana — which police mention finding in the home on the police officer’s body camera footage on the day of the killings.

“This man became distraught,” Hickman said. “He became very distraught and thought about killing his own self.”

Hickman said he had sent his sister messages about how he was thinking about killing himself.

More than just one incident had led Curt Thonton to consider suicide, Hickman said.

Curt Thonton’s pain, Hickman said,  started when he found out she was cheating.

Then, he meets Angela Thornton and her new boyfriend — who was not Tibbs — at Walmart. Angela Thornton also changes her Facebook to be in a relationship with this boyfriend.

“The knife is already in when he finds out she is cheating,” Hickman said. “But she keeps zinging him again and again, making the agony even worse with each twist of the knife.

“Take into consideration what he was going through and why this happened. He does not deserve life in prison. Punish him, yes, but don’t throw his life away.”

Burget said Angela Thornton and John Tibbs — who Burget said was a life-long friend of Angela’s and someone who helped babysit the children — did not deserve to die.

Burget said however Curt Thornton wants to paint Angela Thornton as a bad wife, a bad mother or a drug user, none of those accusations deserve the death penalty.

Curt Thornton saw his estranged wife and the new boyfriend at Walmart five days before this incident, and he learned about the cheating earlier, Burget said. The charge of manslaughter, Burget said, requires the offense be committed in a sudden heat or passion, not after some time has passed.

“Manslaughter does not fit,” Burget said. “This is a murder case.”

Key testimony Tuesday involved inserting the body camera footage, photos and other items from the case into evidence through a pair of officers.

Burget also called three neighbors, including one who had been a friend of Angela Thornton’s for years, Jennifer Brandenburg.

Brandenburg testified after Curt and Angela Thornton had problems approximately New Years Day, Curt had moved out and Angela wanted a divorce.

Brandenburg said Curt and Angela had arguments to the point at which Brandenburg would have to go pick up the couple’s children.

Angela Thornton was also concerned about Curt Thornton spending money while he was away on trips, such as on the motorcycle, Brandenburg said.

Brandenburg also said the weekend prior to the shooting, Angela Thornton told Brandenburg she was afraid because Curt Thornton had allegedly threatened to kill her over another man sleeping with her in his bed.

Brandenburg said she had met Thornton’s boyfriend, Eric Waterman, but he had only been in the picture about a month, he did not live at the residence and was only present two to three nights a week.

The final testimony of the day came from a co-worker of Curt Thornton’s, Harold Reeves.

Reeves said Curt Thornton had seemed upset on a recent trucking trip when he discussed his wife cheating. But when they had completed the haul and separated, Reeves said he had been under the impression Curt Thornton was ready to move on with his life.

Reeves said Thornton had been talking to a couple women online, had recently received a promotion to the job he and Thornton worked together that paid approximately $100,000 a year and Thornton had bought the Harley-Davidson.

On April 6, however, the Jordan Carriers office called Reeves and asked if he had heard from Curt Thornton.

Reeves said he had not heard from him but he called Thornton and discovered he was in a field near Liberty.

Reeves said Thornton admitted to killing his wife and later Thornton told Reeves he was considering killing himself. Reeves said he told Thornton to turn himself in, and Thornton had agreed to that.

“’I don’t know what to do. I am just going to end this,’” Reeves testified Thornton said. “I said please just turn yourself in. It is the best thing you can do.”

Testimony will continue at 11 a.m. today in Seventh Judicial District Judge John Reeves’ courtroom.