Man Killed Wife With Barbell In Ocean Township, Prosecutor Says

OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ — A man is charged with the murder of his wife in their Ocean Township home, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced Friday.

The prosecutor says Michael A. Kless, 67, killed his wife, Stacy Epstein Kless, 66, with a barbell inside their home on Seward Drive. Her body was discovered Wednesday morning.

He then fled and was later found unconscious in a rest stop on the Garden State Parkway. He is currently hospitalized in critical condition.

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.

At 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Ocean Twp. Police were called to the 100 block of Seward Drive for two separate 911 calls reporting a murder at that location. Upon arrival, officers located the woman, who was obviously deceased, said the prosecutor.

It was two separate people who called 911, but the prosecutor's office is not saying who called.

An investigation by members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and the Ocean Township Police Department identified her husband as responsible for the murder.

Michael Kless was later discovered unconscious in his vehicle at a rest stop off of the Garden State Parkway. He is currently hospitalized in critical condition.

The couple had been married for almost 40 years, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Epstein-Kless' LinkedIn profile shows she was a substitute teacher in Ocean Township and the Asbury Park public school district.

Anyone with information regarding this matter is being asked to contact MCPO Detective Stephen Cavendish at 732-431-7160 ext. 7051 or Ocean Township Police Department Detective Michael Legg at 732-531-1428.

Thursday's report: Man Charged With Wife's Murder In Ocean Township