A Texas man has been charged with murder in the fatal attack of his mother, which he reportedly confessed to a friend over a gaming app.

Authorities said they learned about the incident from 24-year-old Robert Babin’s friend, who called police when he saw the messages, KTRK reported.

“I’m in a difficult situation and I need your assistance,” read the message, as noted in court records. “I just attacked my mother with a hammer. I lost my temper, and I don’t know how to handle this. I can’t go to jail. I need to dispose of the hammer and eliminate the evidence before the police arrive. I don’t want to end up facing the death penalty. I struck her multiple times on the head and side. She’s barely breathing.”

The incident occurred on June 11. Major Ben Katrib from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office explained to KHOU that Babin’s friend didn’t notice the messages immediately. Consequently, nearly two hours passed before law enforcement was sent to the scene.

When deputies arrived, they discovered a 61-year-old woman, later identified as Lisa Babin, in the backyard, unconscious and bleeding heavily. She was airlifted to a medical facility, but unfortunately, she passed away nine days later.

“All the messages have been preserved, and detectives have gone through them thoroughly,” said Katrib. “They have also spoken to witnesses and gathered evidence. We believe, based on our information, that the suspect tried to cover up the crime. Fortunately, his friend did the right thing by calling 911, which allowed us to respond in time.”

Katrib said the mother and son lived at the home together and no one else was present.

Babin was initially charged with aggravated assault, but the charges were upgraded to murder on Thursday, KTRK said.