MADISON, Wis. -- The parents of slain University of Wisconsin-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann are pleading with a judge not to release a recording of her 911 call that was apparently made prior to her death.

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Zimmermann's parents, Jean and Kevin Zimmermann, sent a letter to the Dane County judge last week asking the judge to reject a request by several media outlets, including WISC-TV, to release the tape that the 21-year-old Marshfield native apparently made before she was killed in her campus-area apartment on April 2.

In the letter, the family's attorney said that they believe police statements that have urged to keep the call private because it might hamper the investigation.

Zimmermann's parents said that their daughter was the victim of a terrible crime and they don't want the call of her last moments to be broadcast over and over again, WISC-TV reported.

The family said in the letter that since Brittany can no longer speak for herself, as her parents, they are speaking on her behalf.

"She would not want this call of her last moments broadcast over the entire country," the attorney wrote.

He wrote that the tape's release would be a "violent, vivid reminder to the Zimmermann's of their daughter's brutal murder."

Last week, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Richard Niess said it would be irresponsible to make the tape public before he hears arguments from police on how it could hurt their search for whoever killed Zimmermann. He did order the release of the full copy of Dane County's 911 Center investigation report.

The judge is scheduled to rule on the release of the call and a 911 call from Zimmermann's fiancé Jordan Gonnering, who apparently found the woman's body sometime later, on Friday.

The 911 call has been the source of controversy for months. According to county officials, the call was mishandled by a 911 dispatcher. The attorney for the media outlets is arguing that with the 911 center's apparent mishandling of the call, the public deserves to know the exactly what happened and why, WISC-TV reported.

A warrant made public earlier this month said the call that lasted 57 seconds contains the sounds of screaming and a struggle.

Dane County 911 center officials said the operator couldn't hear those sounds, didn't call back the number as required and didn't send any officers to investigate. No officers were dispatched to the area where the cell phone call originated until 48 minutes later, after Zimmermann's fiancé found the woman dead.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.