Monmouth Co. Man Accused Of Killing Wife Says She Attacked Him First: Reports

OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ — Michael Kless, the man accused of murdering his wife with a barbell last week in Ocean Township, had his first court appearance Wednesday.

The hearing was held in the Monmouth County courthouse in front of Judge Paul Escandon.

At the detention hearing, Kless, 67, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder for the death of his wife Stacy Epstein Kless, 66.

Kless also said he killed his wife in self defense, and that she attacked him first, according to NJ.com and the Asbury Park Press.

Kless is represented by Monmouth County Deputy Public Defender Joshua Hood. Hood said Kless and his wife had been lifting weights together in their basement, which was their usual morning work-out routine, when she suddenly “went off” and threw a dumbbell at him, NJ.com reported.

A violent fight ensued and Kless killed his wife during the struggle, said the public defender. Her strangled her by holding a barbell over her neck, said the prosecutor. A work crew that showed up that morning said Kless answered the door with a scratch and blood on his face; the prosecutor says those were from his wife as she fought for her life.

The public defender argues those were attack marks from his wife.

As Patch previously reported, Kless sent an email to his adult son and daughter minutes after his wife's death, where he admitted to killing their mother.

In that email, he stated he had hated his wife for the past 18 years after she told him she was no longer in love with him, NJ101.5 reported. Her comment 18 years ago "deeply hurt him" and he never got over it, they reported.

He also had recently become romantically involved with a woman in Costa Rica.

The Klesses had been married to each other for nearly 40 years, but Michael Kless felt "a long-simmering hatred" for his wife, he allegedly wrote in that email to his children.

She knew about the affair he was having. The couple were "essentially two roommates getting on as best friends publicly," NJ101.5 reported.

Judge Escandon ordered Kless held in the Monmouth County Jail while his case continues. His next court date is July 6.

A celebration of life for Stacy Epstein Kless was held Thursday at Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune Township. Organizers said they wanted to "celebrate the love, joy and light she brought into all of our lives."

The day of the alleged murder of Stacy Kless

Ocean Twp. Police received a call shortly after 9:30 a.m. May 27 reporting a possible murder had occurred in the Klesses home, which is located on the 100 block of Seward Drive in Ocean Township.

At 9:46 a.m., their son also contacted Ocean Township Police and said his father had emailed him and admitted he killed his mother. The son said his father also told him he was going to kill himself. (Their son was at one time a police officer in Deal.)

Police officers arrived at the Seward Drive home, forced entry inside and found Stacy Kless in the home’s basement with a barbell resting over her neck and throat area. She was pronounced deceased.

Kless’ vehicle was then tracked headed northbound on the Garden State Parkway. Someone reached Kless by phone, and he told them he was at a rest stop off the Parkway and attempting to overdose on pills and alcohol.

New Jersey State Police went to that rest stop and took Kless into custody without incident, after what police say was an unsuccessful suicide attempt.

Kless is charged with first-degree murder, fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon (the barbell), and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Stacy Kless was mourned as a vibrant and kind woman. She grew up in Ocean and had deep roots in the community, as she graduated from Ocean Township High School in 1978.

The couple was very social and counted numerous friends in Ocean, including Mayor John Napolitani, who said he and his wife socialized with the couple. He painted the Klesses as active retirees who enjoyed traveling together to places such as Sedona, Arizona and seeing U2 concerts. Her Facebook page, now taken down, shows a woman always smiling and full of life, surrounded by her husband, children, grandparents and a wide-ranging social network.

"We were blindsided; nobody saw this coming," said Napolitani. "There were no indicators of trouble at all. They were a great couple. They loved each other, at least we thought."

Last week: Ocean Township Man Accused Of Killing Wife With Barbell Was Having An Affair (May 29)