Asbury Park Man Held in Cousin’s Death

An Asbury Park man is suspected of killing an intruder at his fire-damaged apartment...who was also his cousin.

Robert Kyles faces several charges connected to the Tuesday death of Leroy Kyles, 57. His remains were found inside the Heck Street two-family in the early hours of June 4.

Investigators filed counts of obstruction of administrative law, tampering with physical evidence and, in an unrelated matter, failure to register as a sex offender.

According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, Asbury Park police responded to the Heck Street two-family just before 10 AM that day, on a report of a dead man inside. Less than 12 hours earlier, city firefighters had quenched a blaze at the dwelling that had begun in a utility room on the ground floor.

Investigators say that a sweep of the home revealed no one inside at the time of the fire. The Red Cross moved tenants of both apartments to other quarters.

The building was without electricity, say detectives, but Robert Kyles returned there to sleep in the apartment he shared with family members. They believe that Leroy Kyles, with no residence in either apartment, entered the house, setting off an altercation with his cousin.

Robert Kyles is charged with obstruction of the administration of law, tampering with physical evidence, and an unrelated count of failure to register as a sex offender. If convicted of the fourth-degree counts at trial, he would face up to 18 months in prison for each. He was placed in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold, with bail set at $50,000.

However, the probe of the circumstances surrounding the death of Leroy Kyles is still open.