NJ Son Charged In Father’s ‘Heinous’ Xmas Eve Slaying To Remain Jailed

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Morris County man accused of murdering his father on Christmas Eve with an axe and a battery-powered pole saw will remain detained in the Morris County Jail.

On Thursday, Kyle Meyer, 33, was ordered to remain in the Morris County Jail by state Superior Court Judge Stephen Taylor pending trial in the Dec. 24 murder of his father, Gregory Meyer.

"I also consider the nature and circumstances of the offense. This is a murder case and apparently a rather heinous one at that,” Taylor said at the detention hearing.

The detention hearing was handled by Senior Assistant Prosecutor Tara Wang.

Kyle was represented by public defender Larry Alvarez but will be seeking private counsel for all future court proceedings.

Officials said that Boonton police officers were dispatched to a home on Old Denville Road in Boonton Township in response to an emergency call on Sunday, and when they arrived, they found 61-year-old Gregory dead.

Investigators determined Kyle was a suspect, and he was detained in Paterson at around 9 p.m., officials said.

Kyle was charged with murder and weapons violations.

Matthew Meyer, a relative of Gregory, released a statement regarding Gregory's murder on a GoFundMe page, which was set up earlier this week.

According to Matthew, Kyle had been suffering from mental illness, alcoholism, and abuse of drugs legal and illegal, for many years.

Read More: Mental Illness Factor In Christmas Eve Slaying, NJ Family Says

According to a probable cause affidavit, the killing resulted from an altercation between the two at their Old Denville Road home around 1 p.m. Sunday.

According to the complaint, Gregory was found in the basement with wounds to his left leg, head, fingers, and hands. An axe and a pole saw were discovered nearby, both covered in "apparent blood."

According to the affidavit, both weapons had fabric on them consistent with having come into contact with the jacket that Gregory was found wearing.

Wang stated at the detention hearing that when police discovered the pole saw, the chain had become detached from its track.

"A large amount of blood was observed in the basement. Blood was also observed leading from the basement, up the basement staircase, and into the bedroom maintained by Meyer within the residence," the probable cause affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, Kyle was spotted leaving the house as his aunt was returning. He was later caught on his way back to his parked car in Paterson.

When Kyle was brought into police custody, he appeared in normal health with no visible wounds on his body. He refused to provide a statement to the police, the affidavit revealed.

On Thursday, Wang said that Kyle provided police with an alleged home address in Patterson, but further investigation revealed that no such address existed.

No other suspects have been sought in connection with the murder, police said.

Kyle will appear again in court for his pre-indictment conference on Feb. 5, 2024, Taylor said.