U.S. authorities Monday filed federal murder charges against a woman accused of fatally shooting FBI Special Agent Samuel Hicks.

U.S. authorities Monday filed federal murder charges against a woman accused of fatally shooting FBI Special Agent Samuel Hicks.Christina Marie Korbe, 40, is charged with murder, assaulting federal officers and employees and using a firearm during a violent crime, among other offenses. She faces a possible life sentence if convicted."Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to maintain public safety," U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said in a statement. "Special Agent Hicks was executing a federal arrest warrant in a federal drug trafficking prosecution. Federal law protects law enforcement agents from assault in the performance of their duties."Korbe's defense attorney, John Elash, could not be reached for comment.U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert C. Mitchell had not scheduled an arraignment.Christina Korbe is being held at the county jail. Her preliminary hearing scheduled for Friday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court was cancelled, and state homicide charges are expected to be dropped, said Mike Manko, spokesman for District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.
Officers arrived at 111 Woods Run Road in Indiana Township about 6 a.m. Nov. 19 to arrest Robert Korbe on federal drug charges, according to a 10-page affidavit by FBI Special Agent Patrick McGlennon. Police and federal agents pounded on the front door to identify themselves, and then used a battering ram to get inside after Robert Korbe refused to open the door.Hicks of Richland was the first person to enter the house. Christina Korbe hid on a second-floor landing, aimed .38-caliber revolver over the railing with her right arm and blindly fired, the affidavit states. The shot struck Hicks in the neck."I'm hit," Hicks shouted as he fell to the floor.
Other officers and agents scrambled away from the house, concerned more shots might be fired."Officer down; shots fired," they yelled before moving Hicks to the driveway.Robert Korbe was caught trying to escape through a basement door after going downstairs to dispose of cocaine hidden in a file cabinet, according to the affidavit. Christina Korbe called 911 to report a break-in and said she fired at the intruders, the affidavit states. She said she never heard the officers identify themselves and was afraid for her life and for her children, who were upstairs with her.Officers arrested Christina Korbe while she was on the phone with the 911 operator. Robert Korbe is in federal custody on three charges related to his suspected role in a drug ring that trafficked crack, cocaine and prescription drugs.
Federal prosecutors filed court papers to seize the Korbes' house.