A landing. the stairs go straight down. and then there s a left turn landing. and there was a big hole in the wall, like where a body part of some kind had gone into the wall and broke the wall. i knew that just from my experience, training that, okay, this started up here and worked its way down there. and she was fighting. she was fighting. yes, she was fighting. next they searched the basement and the rest of the house. i don t see any blood down here at all. nothing there. were you able to clear the house? did you find a robber? did you find nope. an intruder or any evidence of an intruder? yeah, we cleared the house. and we found no nobody in the house. and no sign of forced entry. but when they went into the garage they realized how the killer might have gotten in and out. side door to the garage was open with the inner door open that goes into a laundry room. that door from the laundry room into the kitchen was also open. by then, more officers had arrived. and tom clayton, outside by a police car, was still a mess. come on over here and sit
The neighbor s house. i say, where s your wife? and he pointed to the kitchen area. and that is when i walked around and i located the victim on the kitchen floor. oh, oh. okay. it was tom s wife kelley. right away the deputy knew she d been murdered. what did you see? the victim. there was blood, blood spatter on walls, ceiling. victim had blood pooling around her head. tom, where were you when this all went down? playing poker with my buddies. tom said he had just come home from a poker game to find kelley dead on the floor and his 7-year-old daughter, charlie, saying something about a break-in. i came home and my daughter said there was a robber in the house and she saw them. okay. come on out here, man. come out here. i want you to have a seat. you don t need to see that any more okay? his kids were home? kids were home when this occurred. where were they? when i got on scene, he had taken them to the neighbor. so i never saw the kids. what did you think about the person capable of doing this to this mother with her children at home? this it was it s
Hunting. after the robber left charlie said she rushed to hug her mother and then knew there was one more thing to do, she had to go upstairs and take care of her 3-year-old brother. to the sheriff, the 7-year-old s story was both chilling and heartbreaking. it was a memory i ll have with me the rest of my life. it s one of those that takes a little part of you with them or with it. here s a little girl who does remind me very much of my own daughter. and she s working through, i just watched mommy brutally attacked. it could be daddy. where am i? where does this leave me? but could it be true? did she really just see her father kill her mother? this had been a very bloody murder. and deputy dean swan had looked tom clayton over carefully. did tom have any blood on him? i did not see any on him. no. nope. i actually checked him for any injuries, or any blood, or anything on him. and he had nothing. tom had told the deputy he d
There s no way to describe a person like that. they re not a person. the officer led tom to his patrol car. alright, come on. can i get that water? yeah. we ll get you a water. take it easy, bud. take it easy. come on over here, tom. i m just going to you re not in trouble. i m just going to have you take a seat so we can talk to you, alright? take it easy. you re not in trouble, just sit right down. i m going to leave the door open. just sit right there and relax. then the deputy and his partner went back inside the house to make sure the killer wasn t still hiding inside. ok. kid s room. this one s clear! as they searched, guns drawn, it became clear how the crime unfolded. there s blood all over up here. from what i could see, the attack started in the main bedroom, went out into the main hallway. a fight ensued. looked like there were pictured knocked off the wall. there was
Where does this leave me? but could it be true? did he she really just see her father kill her mother? this had been a very bloody murder and deputy dean swann had looked tom clayton over carefully. did tom have any blood on him? i did not see any on him, no. i actually checked him for any injuries or any blood on him and he had nothing. tom had told the deputy he had only just come in the door to find his wife dead. he had been gone all night at his friend s house, the millers, playing poker. so that s where investigators went. i heard the banging on the door and ringing of the doorbell, and i woke him up. i m like, somebody is banging at the door. what time is this? this is like 6:00 in the morning. that s pretty early to get a knock at the door. right. nothing good happens from answering the door at 6:00 in the morning. when greg realized it was the police at his door, his first thought was that his daughters had been in a car accident. the investigator told me, no,
reporter: the prosecution hallway and the transition area between the hallway and the said that was nonsense. dining room. michael beard had no reason to anybody else in the house, tom, just you? murder kelley unless he was sent i got the kids at the there by the defendant, tom neighbor s house. clayton. the state called linda miller to i said, where s your wife, testify. and he pointed to the kitchen she recounted how tom borrowed area. that is when i walked around and her phone and then delet i located the victim on the number he d dialed, never kitchen floor. oh. oh, okay. dreaming she d do her own it was tom s wife, kelley. right away the deputy knew she had been murdered. what did you see? the victim. detective work. there was blood, blood spatter you really connected the dots to on walls, ceiling, the victim get police to this moment. had blood pooling around her head. yeah. she did good. tom, where were you when this all went down? playing poker with my buddies. if you can call it good. reporter: finally, the prosecutor said he knew why tom wanted his wife dead. tom said he had just come he called kelley s niece, molly, home from a poker game to find to the stand. he just told me a lot of kelley dead on the floor and his seven-year-old daughter charlie stuff about their relationship. saying something about a reporter: molly told the jury break-in. i came home and my daughter about the summer she worked for said there was a robber in the her uncle tom. house and she saw them. she said he talked a lot about his marriage. okay. come on out here, man. that he wasn t in love with her anymore. come on out here. i want you to have a seat. you don t need to see that, all that kelley was very lazy. right. his kids were home? and he told me about him trying to like sleep with other women kids were home when this and that he was sleeping with
Courtroom, the reporter noticed from what i could see, the attack started in the main bedroom, went out into the a change in tom clayton. hallway. that was really the first looks like a fight ensued. there were pictures knocked off the door and there was a time that i saw in his face that landing. you got the sense that this guy finally knew that oh, god, i could go to prison for life. the stairs go straight down and depending on what they re about there s a left-turn landing and to say. reporter: and then they said there was a big hole in the wall it. like a body part of some kind had gone into the wall and broke the wall. guilty of first-degree murder. outside the courthouse, there were tears. lots of them. i knew just from my experience, training that, okay, this thank you. started up here and worked its i think i believe justice was way down there. and she was fighting? done here today. she was fighting. yes, she was fighting. i do. next, they searched the reporter: tom clayton was basement and the rest of the sentenced to life without house. i don t see any blood down parole. here at all. okay. nothing there. were you able to clear the house? michael beard has already begun serving a life sentence. it seems so many in town want to did you find a robber? honor kelley. no. did you find an intruder or even tom s old hockey team. the elmira jackals held a evidence of an intruder. tribute for her and victims of we cleared the house and we found no nobody in the house. and no sign of forced entry. ceremonial first puck to start the game. i m telling you, kelley is with me. but when they went into the garage they realized how the and i have a very strong faith. killer might have gotten in and i hear her days saying get up,
Occurred. where were they? when i got on scene he had other women. taken them to the neighbor so i never saw the kids. and he told me that he also was what did you think of the person capable of doing this to getting close to divorce, he her mother with the children just wanted to be done. home. reporter: the prosecutor told there s no way to describe a person like that. the jury this was tom s motive. he wanted to get rid of his wife they re not a person. but keep everything else. the officer led tom to his patrol car. all right. come on. i think he was concerned that his wife, if they went through a could i get that water? divorce, that she probably would yeah, we ll get you water. get everything and this was an opportunity just to start anew. take it easy, bud. take it easy. reporter: the millers come on over here, tom. listened and wondered how they you re not in trouble, okay. could be so wrong about their old friend tom clayton. i m just going to have you have we didn t obviously know a seat so we can talk to you. until the trial of the affairs all right. take it easy. and stuff. you re not in trouble, just sit right there. i m going to leave the door open. just sit right there and relax. reporter: you really didn t know tom at all. correct. correct. then the deputy and his that s the scary part. partner went back inside the house to make sure the killer reporter: after seven weeks wasn t still hiding inside. the case went to the jury. okay. kelley s sister and the prosecutor braced themselves. kids rooms, this one s clear. okay. now we wait. as they searched, guns drawn, reporter: but not for long. it became clear how the crime it took jurors just six hours to make their decision. unfolded. there s blood all over up as they filed back into the here.
it was tom s wife, kelley. right away the deputy knew she had been murdered. what did you see? the victim. there was blood, blood spatter on walls, ceiling, the victim had blood pooling around her head. tom, where were you when this all went down? playing poker with my buddies. tom said he had just come home from a poker game to find kelley dead on the floor and his seven-year-old daughter charlie saying something about a break-in. i came home and my daughter said there was a robber in the house and she saw them. okay. come on out here, man. come on out here. i want you to have a seat. you don t need to see that, all right. his kids were home? kids were home when this occurred. where were they? when i got on scene he had taken them to the neighbor so i never saw the kids. what did you think of the person capable of doing this to her mother with the children home. there s no way to describe a person like that. they re not a person. the officer led tom to his
i did not see any on him, no. i actually checked him for any injuries or any blood on him and he had nothing. tom had told the deputy he had only just come in the door to find his wife dead. he had been gone all night at his friend s house, the millers, playing poker. so that s where investigators went. i heard the banging on the door and ringing of the doorbell, and i woke him up. i m like, somebody is banging at the door. what time is this? this is like 6:00 in the morning. that s pretty early to get a knock at the door. right. nothing good happens from answering the door at 6:00 in the morning. when greg realized it was the police at his door, his first thought was that his daughters had been in a car accident. the investigator told me, no, nothing is wrong with your daughters. did a guy named hockey puck as you know him or tom play poker here last night? hockey puck is tom s nickname? correct. and i said, yes, he did.