Kelley Stage was funny, kind, endearing, and goofy… qualities that made her loved by everyone she met, including local hockey star Thomas Clayton. After meeting in a bar, the two quickly began dating, and a year later, they were married and starting a family together. They had what many perceived to be the perfect life. That is until September 29th, 2015, when Thomas came home just after midnight from a poker game to find his wife brutally bludgeoned on their kitchen floor. He called 911, and within an hour, the place was swarming with police. Though he performed well, the officers weren’t buying his story that he wasn’t involved. So much so that that same day, he was arrested for her murder. Even though his alibi checked out, too much pointed to his involvement. All investigators had to do was figure out who did the actual killing. And he wasn’t hard to find. Michael Beard, a recently fired employee of Thomas, was brought in for questioning, and after several hours and a failed polygraph, he confessed to everything. Though he later tried to recant, a jury didn’t buy it. They didn’t buy Thomas’ pleas of innocence either. Both men were convicted of 1st and 2nd-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

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Her Lying Husband Paid Someone $10,000 To Kill Her: The Murder of Kelley Clayton