Shellie Lynn Barson recalls thinking Deolyn Oliver had been hit by a "big fist" when her friend screamed seconds before the phone line went dead.
Moments later, Salt Lake County deputy sheriffs found Oliver, 35, dead in her Union home - her body riddled with three bullet holes.Her husband, Gary Lee Oliver, 44, was arrested at the couple's house that evening and later charged with his wife's June 22 murder.
Testifying Wednesday at his preliminary hearing, Barson rehearsed her final conversation with the victim.
"I heard (Gary Oliver's) voice, and he was angry," she said. "Then I heard a loud pop and I thought (Deolyn) had been hit by the phone, then she screamed `Shellie, call the cops.' "
Evidence presented by prosecutors satisfied 3rd Circuit Judge Sandra Peuler, who ordered Gary Oliver to stand trial for first-degree felony murder.
During the hearing, Dep. Dave Smith said he arrived at the home, 209 E. Nicoletti Drive (7270 South), about 10 p.m. and found Gary Oliver standing in the doorway.
Smith remembered the man speaking on a blood-stained telephone, "his hands also appeared bloody," he said.
The deputy later discovered Deolyn Oliver's body in an upstairs bedroom. A 30.06-caliber hunting rifle was lying on the bed and four spent casings littered the floor.
Utah State Crime Lab technician Robert Brinkman testified that traces of gunshot residue were found on Gary Oliver's hands, shirt, pants and cowboy boots.
Defense attorney Gilbert Athay agreed that Gary Oliver had been home when his wife was slain, but argued his client had been passed out after drinking all day. Athay added that Oliver likely picked up gun shot residue while examining the victim's slain body.
Gary Oliver did not testify at the hearing.
The defendant will next appear before 3rd District Judge Frank G. Noble for a scheduling hearing.