Middletown Man Accused Of Killing His Father Found Not Guilty; Acquitted Of Manslaughter Charge

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A Middletown man who police say punched his father in the head multiple times last year, killing him, was found not guilty of the second-degree manslaughter charge against him.

Kyle Kiernan, 37, was acquitted by a jury on Nov. 7, said a spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor. He was found guilty of simple assault, a disorderly person offense.

Kiernan was released from jail by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill O'Malley after being sentenced to time already served. He will not be sentenced to any additional prison time, said the prosecutor's spokesman.

In June 2024, Kiernan was charged with second-degree reckless manslaughter for the death of his father, Lawrence Kiernan, 62.

At approximately 6:30 p.m. June 1, Middletown Police were called to a home on the 300 block of Pine Street for a report of domestic violence. When officers got there, they found the father lying on the floor of the kitchen with blood on his face and right arm.

Kiernan, his wife and his son all lived in the home.

The father and son had argued, police said, and Kyle struck his father in the head with a closed fist multiple times.

The father said he told his son he wanted him to leave the house, and the two argued in the kitchen. The father told the son "multiple times that he needed to leave the house, and attempted to guide the defendant (Kyle) towards the door," read the initial Middletown Police report. "The defendant punched his father in the face, and the two spun to the ground where defendant began punching down into his father’s face."

The older man had a cut on his cheek bone, a cut on the left side of his nose, a three-quarter inch laceration to his mouth and a laceration to his right arm, said police. EMS was called and treated the man at the Pine Street home and performed cognitive tests. The father refused further medical assistance and refused to be taken to a hospital.

Then, nine hours later, at 3 a.m. police were called back to the home. The wife reported her husband was breathing strangely and not waking up.

While en route to the call, Middletown Police were told that Kiernan was now sitting up and had vomited. When officers got there, they found him sitting in a recliner, had vomit on his shirt and was unresponsive.

The officers observed agonal breathing, and the older man's pulse was extremely faint.

Middletown Police and EMS attempted CPR and he was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:57 a.m. the next day.

An autopsy was done and Kiernan's cause of death was complications of a left subdural hemorrhage; the manner of death was determined to be homicide.

His son was charged with second-degree reckless manslaughter, and he was held at the county jail until his trial this November.

Initial Patch report: Middletown Man Charged In Father’s Death (June 2024)

New Details Released In Middletown Man Accused Of Killing His Father (June 2024)