Court records say a slain woman had an order of protection against the man charged with killing her in her pocket when her body was found in Kansas City.

The Kansas City Star reports that 42-year-old Gene Birdsong of Kansas City, Kansas, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of 40-year-old Tabitha Birdsong. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.

Court records in Kansas show the couple wed in 2009 and that Gene Birdsong was twice convicted of battering her. He spent 86 days in jail earlier this year after violating his probation for not complying with a protection order.

Under questioning, he told detectives it was "self-defense" before stopping the interview and requesting an attorney. The couple has a daughter.

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