The Dateline episode ‘The House in the Woods’ investigates the murder of 35-year-old Kelley Clayton, wife of former hockey player Tom Clayton (Elmira Jackals), and mother of two young children. Kelley Clayton was bludgeoned to death with the broken handle of a maul, in her Elmira, New York home in September 2015. A former employee of her husband’s, Michael Beard, was found guilty of her murder. Beard’s lawyer said Tom Clayton offered his client $10,000 to kill Kelley. In February 2017, Tom Clayton was found guilty of first- and second-degree murder charges in connection to the death of his wife.
Tom Clayton continues to claim his innocence. His attorney Ray Schlather said there will be an appeal but another lawyer will probably handle that. Dateline airs Fridays at 9pm on NBC.
