Dad to plead guilty to beating wife with hammer, tire iron (Lebanon, Indiana)

Dad MICHAEL STAYER has agreed to a plea bargain in the bludgeoning death of his ex-wife, who had divorced him less than two months before her murder. Their poor 5-year-old son was a witness to Dad's attack on his mom with a hammer and tire iron. The plea bargain is meant to spare the child from having to testify in court. Dad had continued to stalk and threaten her after the divorce. So don't bother with the usual insipid questions like, "why didn't she leave him?"

Man to plead guilty to beating wife with hammer, tire iron
By Robert Annis
Posted: December 10, 2009

LEBANON -- A Zionsville man accused of bludgeoning his ex-wife in front of their 5-year-old son has agreed to a plea bargain.

Boone County Prosecutor Todd Meyer confirmed a plea hearing for Michael Stayer, 32, will be at 9 a.m. Dec. 17 in Circuit Court. Meyer refused to give details on the plea, saying he and the Stayer family would make a statement after the hearing.

In an interview last week, Meyer acknowledged the plea discussions, meant in part to spare 5-year-old Carson Stayer from testifying at trial.

"We're in conversations with the boy's therapist and family and we want to talk to them before we do anything," Meyer said. "We want to see justice done, but in no way do we want to further traumatize little Carson."

Prosecutors say Beth Stayer was beaten with a hammer and a tire iron in front of their son June 11 in her Whitestown apartment. Emergency medical workers found Beth Stayer nearly lifeless in her 2-year-old daughter's room after the alleged assault and immediately transferred her to Methodist Hospital, where she died the next day from her injuries.

The Stayers had been divorced less than two months at the time of her death. Prosecutors say before Beth Stayer's death, her husband stalked and threatened her.

Michael Stayer has been charged with murder, aggravated battery, domestic battery and battery resulting in serious bodily injury