Ocean Township man charged with wife's murder after email confession and affair revealed
Michael Kless, 67, faces first-degree murder charges after strangling his wife Stacy in their New Jersey home. Court documents reveal years of resentment and an affair with a woman in Central America.
Court documents expose years of hatred behind Ocean Township murder charge
Court documents filed in Monmouth County have laid out a damning portrait of Michael A. Kless, 67, charged with the first-degree murder of his wife Stacy E. Kless at their home on Seward Drive in Ocean Township, New Jersey, nj1015.com reports.
The pair had been married since 1987. Neighbours and friends told the Asbury Park Press they had seen no signs of trouble in the relationship. Ocean Township Mayor John P. Napolitani Sr. was among those who expressed shock.
"No words for the tragedy that struck our community this morning. We lost a neighbour, co-worker, mom, grandmom, mother, and a lot of us lost a friend," Napolitani said.
The case began to unravel around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, when a relative phoned Ocean Township police to report that Kless had confessed to killing his wife and was planning to take his own life. Minutes later, a second family member called to say Kless had sent an email admitting he had murdered his mother.
Officers forced entry into the Seward Drive property and found Stacy Kless dead in the basement. A barbell was resting across her neck and throat. She was pronounced dead later that morning. The criminal complaint states she had been strangled and that the barbell had been used as a weapon.
As police launched a search, authorities tracked Kless's vehicle travelling north on the Garden State Parkway. He later contacted a relative to say he was at a rest stop attempting to overdose on medication. State Police located him there and took him into custody following what investigators described as an unsuccessful suicide attempt.
The affidavit quotes an email in which Kless described what investigators characterised as a "long-simmering" resentment toward his wife — using the word "hatred." The document also states that Kless detailed an intimate relationship with a woman in Central America, and that his account of the killing matched physical evidence found at the scene.
The couple's children handed over text messages that prosecutors say contained admissions from their father that he had killed their mother. Those texts, along with emails Kless had sent and statements from witnesses, became central pieces of evidence supporting the murder charge.
Additional details emerged from the hours before the body was discovered. A home repair crew told detectives they had arrived at the Kless residence around 9:05 a.m. for a scheduled appointment. They said Kless met them outside, appeared to have a scratch and blood on his face, and asked to reschedule — refusing to let them enter.
Kless is charged with first-degree murder and third- and fourth-degree weapons offences. He is being held at Monmouth County Jail. As of Saturday, it was not known whether he had engaged an attorney.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)