New Jersey Man Kills Wife With Barbell, Texts Adult Children Confession

Michael Kless, 67, allegedly beat his wife of 39 years to death and sent texts and an email confessing to the killing, citing a "long-simmering hatred" and an affair.

Ocean Township Man Arrested for Wife's Murder After Sending Confession by Text

A 67-year-old New Jersey man beat his wife to death with a barbell at their Ocean Township home and then texted their adult children to admit what he had done, according to Law & Crime.

Michael A. Kless faces charges of first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced. His wife, 66-year-old Stacy E. Kless, was found dead inside the couple's home on the 100 block of Seward Drive after police received two calls reporting a murder around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Officers arriving at the scene found her "obviously deceased."

Investigators identified Michael Kless as the suspect and located him shortly afterward — unconscious in his vehicle at a rest stop off the Garden State Parkway. He was transported to a hospital and placed in critical condition.

The Asbury Park Press obtained a probable cause arrest warrant detailing the admissions Kless allegedly made after the killing. In addition to texts sent to his two adult children, he reportedly emailed a separate individual. That message, according to the affidavit, described "a long simmering 'hatred'" of his wife, his involvement in a new intimate relationship with a woman from Central America, and an account of the killing that matched physical evidence at the scene. He also told his children he intended to end his own life by taking prescription pills.

Investigators further learned that roughly 30 minutes before police were called, a work crew had arrived at the home for a previously scheduled repair. When Michael Kless answered the door, he had a visible scratch on his face and turned the workers away, asking them to reschedule, the affidavit reportedly stated.

The couple had been married for 39 years and had grandchildren. Ocean Township Mayor John P. Napolitani Sr. told the Asbury Park Press that the killing had left the community shaken.

"Nobody saw this coming," Napolitani said. "There was not a clue this was going to happen."

Source: Law & Crime