MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – A criminal complaint alleges a Marion father had been planning to kill his 5-year-old son for a week.

45-year-old Matthew Schleier is charged with first-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million cash bond. He faces a preliminary hearing on November 8.

According to the criminal complaint, Marion police officers were called to a home in the 4100 block of Willowbrook Drive at 5:57 a.m. Tuesday for a report of a 5-year-old boy who was not breathing.

At the scene, paramedics asked the mother how she found the child, who is identified only as “JS.” The mother told paramedics “his father strangled him.” An officer with the Marion Police Department asked Matthew Schleier if it was true and he admitted to strangling his son.

Paramedics tried to save the boy at the scene. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Medical personnel noted bruising on the child’s neck that appeared consistent with strangulation.

During a post-Miranda interview with investigators, Schleier admitted to strangling his son. He also said he had been up most of the night trying to decide how to kill his son and that he had been thinking about killing the boy for the past week. He also admitted that he had thoughts of using knives to kill his son.

According to the complaint, investigators collected evidence, including knives, when they executed a search warrant that indicated Schleier was considering his actions.

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