The West

woman

outside their home asked authorities in November in a protection-from-abuse order request to take away her husband's gun.

A Northampton County judge ordered the seizure of

firearm at the request of

on Nov. 18, a day after he threatened to kill his family because he was out of control, according to court documents.

The gun was collected at some point by Bethlehem police and turned over to the Northampton County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Randall Miller said this afternoon. He said he believes the weapon is still in the possession of his office. Gavin Holihan, an attorney representing Htut in the PFA filing, said it was his understanding that Htut's firearm was in police custody since the temporary PFA filing in November.

Police say Htut fatally shot his estranged wife in front of their 319 Central Park Ave. home as their children, ages 16, 10 and 3, watched. The weapon, which police recovered, was not registered to Htut, a source said.

The couple had been arguing before Htut shot Myint, according to police.

Htut is being held without bail in Lehigh County Prison on charges of criminal homicide, burglary and trespassing. Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said Htut was barred from the home based on a Northampton County protection-from-abuse order.

A member of the Northampton County Protection From Abuse Office said Lehigh County officials incorrectly referred Myint to Northampton County because of confusion over her address. Northampton County Court issued a temporary restraining order against Htut, but the matter was transferred Nov. 24 back to Lehigh County after a closer review of property records, according to court records.

The same employee said the office needed a Burmese translator to complete Myint's application.

A final PFA against Htut was granted Tuesday in Lehigh County Court, records say. Htut was allowed to attend the naturalization ceremony of the couple's 16-year-old daughter, Wint M. Thu, in Philadelphia, but had to remain 100 feet away, the order states.

According to the Northampton County report, Thu was talking to her mother about colleges and the cost of going to college on Nov. 17 when she began crying. The tears set off Htut, who began yelling at his family, saying they were unlucky and the reason he could not make more money, according to the report. Htut works out of the home as a stockbroker, according to the document.

In his anger, Htut turned up the heat in the house, making it uncomfortable for Myint, according to the document. When she asked him to lower the thermostat, he suggested she go into the garage to cool off. She did, which infuriated Htut further, according to the report.

Htut went on to scream at Myint and the children before punching a hole in the living room wall next to Thu's head, according to the report. He then went into the kitchen and began smashing glasses on the floor and told the family he did not want to live with them any more, according to the report.

"He said he would kill everyone in the house because he was out of control," the report stated.

Htut called his parents, which gave the daughter an opportunity to slip downstairs and call the police, the report stated. Police ordered him to clear out of the house for the night and advised the family to file for a PFA, the report said.

The PFA report also states that Htut could be controlling about his family's activities. Once, he took their bedroom door off the hinges when Myint asked if she could close it, the order says. Another time, he blocked the door so she could not leave, even to use the bathroom, according to the report.

"We can't leave the house at all. The kids can't go play in the yard or even the balcony. ... I can't even go grocery shopping without him present," the report states.

Myint wrote in the PFA report that she once called the police and left the home, but Htut begged her to come back for the children's sake. When she returned, he told her not to do it again, he said.

"He threatened me that if I left again that he would do something horrible to the children," according to Myint's complaint.



Staff members Sarah M. Wojcik and Sarah Cassi contributed to this report.