Investigators say workers saw Michael Kless at the home before police found Stacy Kless dead in the basement.
OCEAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A home repair crew’s brief stop at a Seward Drive house has become one of the earliest known moments in the murder case against Michael A. Kless.
The workers arrived May 27 before police found Stacy E. Kless, 66, dead in the basement of the Ocean Township home she shared with her husband. Court records described by investigators say Michael Kless, 67, met the crew with a scratch or blood on his face, refused to let the workers enter and asked to reschedule the appointment. Hours later, he was the focus of a murder investigation. He is charged with first-degree murder and two weapons offenses tied to a barbell.
The encounter with the crew matters because it falls inside the narrow morning timeline now under review by police and prosecutors. At about 9:30 a.m., Ocean Township officers were sent to the 100 block of Seward Drive after two 911 calls reported a murder at the home. Officers forced entry and found Stacy Kless obviously deceased. An affidavit later said she was in the basement with a barbell resting over her neck and throat area. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said investigators from its Major Crimes Bureau and Ocean Township police identified Michael Kless as responsible for the killing. The office announced the charges May 29.
Authorities say the 911 calls followed communications Michael Kless made after his wife’s death. One caller reported that Kless had said he killed his wife and planned to kill himself. Another caller reported an email admission to murdering the caller’s mother. Investigators later reviewed an email that allegedly described the killing in a way that matched what police saw at the scene. The affidavit also said the message referred to a long-simmering hatred of Stacy Kless and a new intimate relationship with a woman from Central America. His adult children later gave investigators text messages in which he allegedly admitted killing their mother, according to the affidavit.
After leaving the home, Michael Kless was traced to the Garden State Parkway. He later contacted someone and said he was at a rest stop and was attempting to overdose on medication, according to records described by investigators. New Jersey State Police found him unconscious inside his vehicle at a rest stop. Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Michael Luciano later said in court that Ambien and a bottle of tequila were found in the car. Kless was first hospitalized in critical condition, then moved to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution after his condition allowed. The rest stop discovery added another scene to a case that already included the home, the basement and the electronic messages.
The repair crew’s observations are likely to remain important because each side has used them in a different way. Prosecutors have argued the scratches or blood on Michael Kless’ face showed Stacy Kless fought back during a fatal attack. Deputy Public Defender Joshua Hood has said the same marks support his client’s self-defense claim. Hood told the court that Michael and Stacy Kless were doing their normal morning workout in the basement gym when she struck him with weights. He said Michael Kless believed she would carry out threats against him and acted to defend himself. Prosecutors said Stacy Kless was strangled with a barbell and that the evidence did not support release from custody.
The hearing before Judge Paul Escandon also brought the couple’s private life into public view. Hood described a strained marriage in which the two still functioned publicly as a couple. He said they attended parties, traveled, talked with neighbors and babysat their grandchildren on Fridays. Prosecutors focused on Michael Kless’ alleged writings after the killing. The email described in court said Stacy Kless had told him 18 years earlier that she no longer loved him, and that he never got past the hurt. The state also said the email referenced his new relationship. Hood said the relationship involved a woman in Costa Rica, and that Michael Kless had told his wife he wanted a girlfriend.
The court record so far leaves several facts unresolved. Authorities have not publicly released a full autopsy report, a complete forensic analysis of the basement or the entire contents of the texts and email. The exact timing of the fatal encounter, the workers’ arrival, the calls to police and Michael Kless’ departure has not been laid out minute by minute in the public record. The defense has not presented evidence at trial because the case has not reached that stage. The prosecution has not had to prove the murder charge beyond a reasonable doubt at this early point. Those questions now move through the court process.
Stacy Epstein Kless’ death also left a public mark beyond the legal file. Ocean Township Mayor John P. Napolitani Sr. described her as a kind-hearted and loving mother and grandmother after the killing. A celebration of life was scheduled at Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune Township on June 4. Public posts before the killing had shown the couple smiling, traveling and spending time with family, according to reports. In court, attorneys described a marriage that looked far different behind closed doors. The contrast has become part of how the case is understood, though the criminal charges depend on evidence rather than public image.
Escandon ordered Michael Kless held without bail after he pleaded not guilty June 3. The judge cited the seriousness of the charge and concerns raised by prosecutors, including the relationship outside the United States. Kless remains presumed innocent unless convicted. The next stage is expected to focus on charging documents, evidence review and later court dates in Monmouth County Superior Court.
As of June 29, the public record showed Michael Kless in custody with the murder case pending. The repair crew’s account, the basement evidence, the alleged admissions and the rest stop discovery remain the core known pieces of the timeline.
Author note: Last updated June 29, 2026.