An Oklahoma man has confessed to the brutal murder of his wife, committing the crime in the presence of their three children. Over a span of two days, he used a belt, a shoe, a flagpole, and a handgun to fatally assault her. He then instructed the children to “clean up the blood and mess” and warned them “not to talk to anyone” about the incident, as stated by investigators.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the victim, Shawntae Brown, suffered extensive bruising, contusions, and lacerations, indicative of a severe beating. Her husband, Joshua Brown, was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole after accepting a plea deal for her 2020 murder, reported local Fox affiliate KOKH.

Mark Myers, the public information officer for the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department, described the scene as indicative of a violent crime to NBC affiliate KFOR, following the discovery of Shawntae Brown’s body in their Spencer residence.

“It was just a very gruesome scene,” Myers commented. “It’s tragic that these children had to witness such a horrifying event.”

The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office noted in a press release that their dispatchers received a 911 call from the family’s home shortly before 2 a.m. on September 30, 2020.

“When emergency personnel responded they found the body of 34-year-old Shawntae Lynn Brown inside the house,” the release said. “Joshua Christian Brown, who is married to the victim, and their three children were also inside the home.”

Joshua Brown, 39, told authorities that he “went too far” while fighting with Shawntae Brown and began punching and strangling her in front of their kids, who were 7, 14, and 15 at the time. He was accused of pummeling her over a span of two days before leaving her bruised and beaten body inside a bathroom, KOKH reports.

The couple’s 14-year-old son told investigators that he watched Joshua Brown beat his mother with a handgun, a shoe, a belt, and a flagpole.

“The 14-year-old also made statements that Joshua Brown made him and his siblings clean up the blood and mess and told them not to talk to anyone about the incident,” the affidavit said, according to The Oklahoman.

A “large amount of blood” was reportedly found throughout the couple’s home, along with holes in the drywall that appeared to be caused by punches or kicks.

“A semi-automatic handgun was recovered and it appeared that Joshua Brown had beaten the victim with it so severely that the fiber optic front sight had shattered and was caked with blood and hair,” the affidavit added.

Brown was arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center for murder and child abuse, where he was held without bond until accepting his plea agreement in exchange for four life sentences.

Prosecutors told KOKH that the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office spoke with Joshua Brown’s children before offering a deal, and his daughter said she did not think he should be free but also did not want him to be executed.

“I know a lot of my family wanted the death penalty,” the daughter, Aliesha Brown, told local CBS affiliate KWTV. “It’s been a long journey, and I’ve grown a lot since then,” Brown said. “Obviously, I was a kid, now I’m a young adult, but it’s not going to get any easier. Knowing justice has been served and due process has been done, I can finally get some peace.”

Joshua Brown will not be allowed to appeal his life sentences as part of his plea agreement, KWTV reports. His lawyer did not respond to Law&Crime’s requests for comment on Thursday.