Inset left: Kyle Meyer (New Jersey Department of Corrections). Inset right: Gregory Meyer (GoFundMe). Background: An obstructed view of the house where the defendant killed his father with a pole saw on Christmas Eve, 2023, in Boonton Township, N.J. (Google Maps).
A New Jersey man faces decades behind bars for the gory Christmas Eve killing of his father, Garden State authorities announced.
On Monday, Kyle Meyer, 35, was convicted by a jury in Morris County on one count each of first-degree murder, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, according to a press release issued by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.
The verdict stemmed from the murder of Gregory Meyer, 61, who bled to death in his own home on Old Denville Road in Boonton Township – a small suburb located in the broader New York City metro area.
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On Dec. 24, 2023, the younger Meyer used a battery-powered pole saw and ax to cut into his father's head, hands, and left leg, prosecutors showed during a seven-day trial that ended last week.
When authorities arrived at the family's home around 1:15 p.m. that day in response to an emergency call, the victim was already dead.
Investigators described a particularly bloody scene inside the house, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Patch.com.
"A large amount of blood was observed in the basement," the charging document reads. "Blood was also observed leading from the basement, up the basement staircase, and into the bedroom maintained by Meyer within the residence."
Authorities quickly ascertained the elder Meyer's son as the suspect and detained him by 9 p.m. that night in the city of Patterson, located roughly 20 miles east of Boonton Township.
When taken into custody, Kyle Meyer appeared to be in normal health with no visible wounds, according to the affidavit. The defendant also declined to provide any statement to the arresting officers.
Following an autopsy, the medical examiner determined Gregory Meyer's cause of death was "exsanguination due to multiple injuries."
A GoFundMe by the victim's brother remembered him fondly:
In losing Greg on Christmas Eve, our family lost a son, brother, uncle, and father. Along with our extended family and friends, we are grieving the death of a man who brought music, laughter, and love to our lives.
The fundraiser also described the killer as being "lost in the darkness of mental illness, alcoholism, and abuse of drugs legal and illegal."
During the son's trial, Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Tara Wang described Gregory Meyer's "unintelligible screams" emanating from the otherwise picturesque suburban home that fatal Christmas Eve, according to a courtroom report by NorthJersey.com.
"Screams that you will learn are the last sounds that Greg made before his life came to a blunt and gruesome end at the hands of the defendant, Kyle Meyer," the prosecutor said during her opening statement.
Prosecutors and police alike would also literally show jurors both the lengthy saw and heavy ax used to slay the defendant's father.
"At 12:45 p.m., on that Christmas Eve, the defendant suddenly attacked in the basement, utilized the Milwaukee M18 fuel power head with a pole saw attachment to repeatedly strike Greg throughout his body," Wang continued.
The state alleged the attack was without warning, without provocation, not even preceded by an argument or dispute – but, rather, simply motivated by the son's "animus" and "true hatred" for his father.
The defense, for its part, was based on the notion that there were no eyewitnesses to the brutal crime to identify the defendant as the killer.
"The state's theory is built on possibilities, not proof," defense attorney Joseph Corazza said during his own opening statement. "What you will hear throughout the testimony is that we'll hear a lot of fancy, scientific technology, scientific phrases, scientific explanations. Don't let the fancy language fool you, listen to the actual evidence."
In the end, the jury sided with the state.
Kyle Meyer faces a sentence of 30 years to life in prison on the murder conviction alone. He is slated to be sentenced on Feb. 6, 2026.
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