LANCASTER, Pa.—A central Pennsylvania judge is being asked to determine whether recorded statements should be used as evidence in the death penalty trial of a man accused of having shot his pregnant girlfriend to death a year ago.

Twenty-three-year-old Matthew Becker is charged in Lancaster County with two counts of homicide in the August 2011 deaths of 21-year-old Allison Walsh and her unborn daughter.

Authorities allege that Becker shot Walsh, who was more than seven months pregnant, after an argument at his Mastersonville home near Lancaster.

Defense attorneys are challenging prosecutors' plans to use statements recorded hours after the shooting and other evidence against their client.

The (Lancaster) Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era ( http://bit.ly/OwflVP) says a judge now listening to the recordings is expected to rule this week or next week.

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Information from: Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era , http://lancasteronline.com