Benjamin Klinger bowed his head and cried Thursday while listening to a 9-1-1 recording of a Dec. 4 car crash that killed his girlfriend.

A distraught passerby can be heard on the line summoning medical help on the shoulder of Route 283 in Rapho Township.

"Come on, get somebody here!" he snaps at the dispatcher while describing two injured people, including one female who was "upside down."

In the background is a female screaming and moaning – prosecutors argue those were the sounds of 17-year-old Samantha Heller in her final moments.

Prosecutors alleged at Klinger's preliminary hearing that Klinger crashed his car intentionally, then smother Heller after realizing she was still alive.

Heller's aunt also testified of how Klinger, 19, was abusive to her niece and threatened to kill her.

Following a two-hour hearing, District Judge John Winters ordered that Klinger be tried in Lancaster County Court on counts of homicide, vehicular homicide and related offenses.

Defense lawyer Jeffrey Conrad argued that the case is involuntary manslaughter at most.

"There is nothing to indicate a homicide occurred here," Conrad told the judge.

However, Klinger's prior assault of Heller, a McCaskey High School junior, was introduced as evidence that he was angry and prone to violence.

"I think it's clear this shows motive and intent," Winters said of that assault charge.

Leann Armold, Heller's aunt, also testified of Klinger's violent nature.

Armold said Klinger often called Heller a "slut" and "whore." On one occasion, Armold said, Klinger threatened to kill Heller in a car crash.

Armold said she was talking to Heller on the phone in January as the couple was driving.

"If she didn't get off the phone with her aunt he would run the car off the road and (Heller) would never speak with relatives ever again," Armold recalled hearing during that call.

Klinger, a muscular man of medium height, showed no reaction, only jotting notes during the testimony.

He broke down only when Assistant District Attorney Mark Fetterman played the 10-minute recording of the 9-1-1 call.

A crash reconstruction expert testified that Klinger's car was traveling about 115 mph when he veered into a guardrail. Sgt. Jeff Jones found no evidence of braking at the scene.

"The cause of this crash is the intentional actions of Ben Klinger," Jones testified.

Jones said Klinger was wearing a seat belt and "absolutely wasn't ejected" from the car due to impact with the guardrail.

"He removed his seat belt to remove himself from the vehicle," Jones testified.

Nicole Woods testified that she was the first police officer to arrive at the scene of the early-morning crash.

She said she saw a female face-down on the ground with her legs still inside the car. Klinger was sitting on top of her, Woods testified.

Another police officer, Chris Keller, testified that he found inside Klinger's car evidence that he was dealing drugs. Keller found a bag of about 20 prescription pills along with a BB gun (that Keller said appeared to be a real firearm), a digital scale and five $100 bills.

Conrad suggested to multiple witnesses that Klinger was intoxicated at the time of the crash. Keller said those results are pending.

bhambright@lnpnews.com