Prosecutor: Area Man Charged with Wife’s Murder

An area man has been charged with the murder of his wife in their home, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Friday.

Michael A. Kless, 67, has been charged with first-degree murder, fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon (barbell), and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose stemming from a Wednesday incident in his Ocean Township home.

The case background …

On Wednesday, May 27, at approximately 9:30 a.m., Ocean Township police responded to the 100 block of Seward Drive on two separate 911 calls reporting a murder there. Upon arrival, officers found a female victim, later identified as 66-year-old Stacy E. Kless, Michael’s wife, dead.

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

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

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.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office