1/13/20222- 7:08 p.m.
Ryan Coles accused of killing his parents in their South Jersey home told investigators the violence started with a dispute over household chores.
Ryan Coles 34, began last week in Gloucester County. He is accused of killing Edward M. Coles Jr., 58, and Rosemarie Coles, 55, in their West Deptford Township home in 2016. Coles, who lived with his parents, allegedly used his bare hands and an object to bludgeon the couple. Autopsies determined they died of blunt head trauma.
The trial featured testimony from family members and presentation of evidence including text messages Coles had with other family members. The prosecution also presented items recovered from the crime scene, including bloody clothing, broken furniture and smashed glassware.
Video of Coles’ lengthy interview with two detectives conducted soon after his arrest was also presented.
In that interview, Coles claimed his parents had assaulted him after expressing anger over his failure to complete household chores and that the fight turned into a brawl between the three of them. He told investigators that his mother told him to “plead self-defense” as they fought and he claimed to not understand during the interview that his parents were dead.
On the morning of Aug. 25 — the killing apparently occurred later that night — Ed Coles texted his son that he would need to find a new place to live because the couple planned to move to a one-bedroom, 55-and-older community. He told his son he needed to find a better job where he could work 40 hours a week so he could be self-sufficient. “You need to set your sights on something better,” Ed Coles said of his son’s job prospects.
Ryan Coles responded that he was “working on it now.”
During the trial, defense attorney Lucille Bongiovanni’s questioning of an investigator centered on the defendant’s psychological state and comments family members had made to police suggesting Coles was mentally ill.
That testimony included statements that police had previously been called to the home for domestic violence incidents involving Edward and Ryan Coles.
Coles opted for a bench trial, meaning Superior Court Judge Mary Beth Kramer, rather than a jury, will issue a finding at the end of the case.
The prosecution wrapped up its case last week and the defense will have its turn starting Monday.
Coles’ parents were high school sweethearts who married and raised two sons. The other son was not living at the home when the killings occurred.
Ed Coles served as conductor of the Bonsal Blues Band at the time of his death. He played clarinet and saxophone and had spent 42 years with the community band.
