Catherine Rusoff
A routine welfare check in Oklahoma last week led to an unexpected development in a cold case murder. While sitting on the side of an interstate highway outside Oklahoma City, authorities say Joseph Beck voluntarily confessed to the 2016 murder of 19-year-old Jennifer Kyli Molloy.
Beck offered the confession to a state trooper, who conducted the welfare check Thursday, after a passerby reported seeing a man alone near an I-40 exit, according to for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The officer took Beck to the Edmond Police Department, which initially investigated Molloy’s murder. Detectives eventually arrested the 28-year-old as a suspect in his death and charged him with first-degree murder. Records show Beck was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on Friday and was still being held there as of Monday morning.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said it “hopes this leads to answers for an Oklahoma family.”
Molloy was found dead in her apartment in Edmond, about 15 miles north of Oklahoma City, on Oct. 5, 2016, according to the Edmond Police Department. he said in a statement. Police characterized his death as “suspicious.” They said the investigation into what happened to her had turned up several leads over the years, but no arrests had previously been made.
Beck Confessed to Choking Molloy to Death, CBS Affiliate KWTV reported. Edmond police told the station that Beck became the prime suspect in the old cold case as he shared specific details about the murder. During an interview with investigators, he said he and Molloy worked together and confessed to being attracted to her, according to KWTV. Before the murder, Beck remembers going to Molloy’s apartment with the intention of attacking her and becoming angry when she asked him to leave. Then, he said, he killed her.
Johnny Molloy, the victim’s father, told KWTV he was shocked and angry when he learned of Beck’s confession, but the arrest also brought closure.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time and I never thought it would happen,” he said. While the exact nature of Beck and Kyli Molloy’s relationship outside of work is unclear, their family told KWTV they had known the suspect for some time.
“Growing up with Joseph, he was the nicest guy, the sweetest guy,” Christa Stanfiel, the victim’s sister, told the station. “You would never think he was rude and know that this happened and that he did it for something so stupid.”
Stanfiel said Beck contacted her months after her sister’s death and wanted to meet, according to KWTV. He continued to contact her until April this year, but she never responded to his messages. CBS News contacted the Edmond Police Department for more information but did not immediately receive a response.
