Father of murdered boy, 5, appears emotionless in court after making chilling ‘confession’

An Iowa father confessed to planning the murder of his five-year-old son for a week before strangling him.

Matthew Schleier, 45, is charged with first-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million bond.

Police were called to a home early Tuesday where they found the five-year-old boy, identified as “JS,” unresponsive.

Paramedics on the scene asked the boy’s mother how she discovered him, and she said, “his father strangled him.” Officers interviewed Schleier, who confirmed the statement.

Paramedics attempted to revive the child before taking him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Medical staff noted bruising on the child’s neck, consistent with strangulation.

In an interview with investigators, Schleier reportedly admitted to the killing without showing emotion, saying he had stayed awake most of the night deciding how to proceed and had considered using knives. He also revealed that he had been thinking about the act for the past week.

Paramedics on the scene asked the boy’s mother how she discovered him, and she reportedly said, “his father strangled him.”

While executing a search warrant, investigators found evidence, including knives, that suggested Schleier had premeditated the murder.

In another tragic case, Patrick Clancy, father of three children who were allegedly strangled by their mother, recently paid tribute to his children after completing the Boston Marathon. Clancy ran the marathon to raise money for Boston Children’s Hospital, which had treated his children, and spoke emotionally about his lost children, saying, “They had a short life, but they had a good life.”

Patrick’s wife, Lindsay Clancy, who suffered from severe postpartum psychosis, allegedly killed their three children: Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, a baby – in January 2023.

Police were called to a home early Tuesday morning where they found a 5-year-old boy, identified as “JS,” unresponsive.

After the incident, she attempted suicide, resulting in paralysis, and remains in psychiatric care, facing three murder charges.

Patrick expressed his forgiveness towards Lindsay, citing her mental health issues, and has raised more than $75,000 for the hospital.

“In the short time I was here, my children brought me so much joy and couldn’t have made their father prouder,” he wrote on his donation page, dedicating his marathon run to them.

In October, a judge ordered Lindsay to be held in psychiatric care for six months after it was reported she was struggling with severe depression and at risk of self-harm.

She has denied being guilty of the charges.