Family pleas prompted Jason Klaus to admit involvement in family’s murders

After hearing emotional pleas from family members desperate to learn the truth, Jason Klaus finally admitted he was involved in the murders of his parents and sister in Dec. 2013.

The confession came late on the night of Aug. 14, 2016 following a gruelling day-long interrogation of Klaus at the Red Deer RCMP detachment.

Even after he was told by S/Sgt. Mike McCauley with RCMP K Division that Joshua Frank told police Jason helped plan the killings of Gordon, Sandra and Monica Klaus, Jason remained silent.

McCauley laid his final card on the table, just before 11 p.m., showing Klaus a pre-recorded video message from his grandparents.

“Tell the truth what happened,” they begged. “Do it for us… only you can tell us.”

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McCauley then showed Klaus an even more emotional video message from his cousin Matthew.

“Growing up you were my hero… everything I wanted to be,” Matthew said to Jason, adding that some of his favorite childhood memories were of Christmases and Thanksgivings spent at the Klaus’ farmhouse.

“I need you to be my hero again and be that guy I know you are and wanted you to be. We all need to know why,” Matthew continued.

That was enough to finally make Klaus open up regarding his involvement in his family’s deaths.

“You ready to be his hero yet?” McCauley asked.

“Yeah,” Klaus replied.

He then shared his account of what took place the night Gordon, Sandra and Monica were shot and killed and their house burned down. Klaus still maintained he was not at or in the house when the murders happened; only that he waited at the end of the driveway after giving Frank a ride.

Klaus said their original intent that night was only to break in and steal Jason’s trophy deer rack from the living room.

Things evolved to the point where Frank offered to kill his family, Klaus claimed.

“I didn’t flat out ask him, but he offered to take care of things,” he told McCauley.

Klaus then said he tried to back out at the last minute, but it was already too late as Frank had already lit the house on fire after shooting Gordon, Sandra and Monica.

“What was in it for him?” McCauley asked.

“Some cash down the road,” Klaus explained, saying he’d promised to pay Frank $20,000 to $25,000.

When asked by McCauley why he and Frank planned to break into the house in the first place, Klaus mentioned he’d stolen $5,000 or $6,000 from his father using forged cheques.

His interrogation ended with Klaus crying and expressing regret over what happened.

“I’m not a bad guy, Mike. I’m not,” he sobbed. “My family meant the world to me.”

Tuesday afternoon, Justice Eric Macklin ruled that the Klaus’ statements to police were given voluntarily and are admissible as evidence.

A second voir dire will get underway Wednesday in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench regarding the admissibility of statements made by Frank.

The voir dire is expected to take several days.