Oklahoma man sentenced to life without parole after chilling body-cam confession to 2016 murder
Joseph Tyler Beck, who confessed to killing 19-year-old Jennifer Molloy in Edmond, was linked to the crime by DNA and told a trooper in May 2024 that he had premeditated the act but did not see himself as a killer.
An Oklahoma man was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2016 murder of 19-year-old Jennifer Kyli Molloy in Edmond, a case that remained unsolved for years until a May 2024 wellness check alongside a highway led to a confession captured on body camera.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Preston Cox encountered Joseph Tyler Beck sitting on the shoulder of Interstate 40 in Oklahoma City, where Beck unexpectedly began telling his version of events. "It was just - it's just like, I'm not a f***ing serial killer. But I just always had this premeditation, and I just killed one person," Beck told Cox in the passenger seat. "I don't want someone along the way here to try to get in my head that I'm redeeming or worth saving because I'm not," he continued. Beck then broke down in tears and cried: "Why did I ever choose to do anything bad?" He emotionally confessed that he "was a good person" who "went to school" and "believed in God," but "choose to be bad." The Oklahoma Highway Patrol later confirmed Beck's involvement using DNA evidence.
Beck explained that he didn't go to Molloy's apartment on the night of the murder with the intention of killing her, but did have "ill will." When asked if he sexually assaulted Molloy, Beck said no but admitted that he thought about it. After he choked her to death, Beck admitted he went to see a movie and was contemplating whether to confess. "I just thought I had to get away with it and run away," he said. At another point in the confession, Beck said that he was compelled to hang out with girls who were "barely 18," adding: "if she ever f***ing dates someone, I'll probably try to kill the boyfriend if he lived in my area". He also confessed that he tried to kill people who have "stolen his girlfriends," but didn't have the opportunity to. Beck cried that he was a "normal guy" who "became mentally ill" after the murder. When asked why he killed Molloy, Beck calmly responded that the two were drunk and he "kept getting handsy." He then confessed that Molloy was "more or less sober." Beck said that Molloy told him she had plans with another man later that night before he killed her. "I just didn't really know why I did it, and I went home and suffered killer's remorse, and I started puking uncontrollably," Beck explained.
Police confirmed Beck's involvement using DNA evidence. "Often, justice takes time, but today we honor Kyli’s memory and recognize the profound loss felt by those who loved her," Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Zemp Behenna said in a statement on Wednesday. Detective Mason Long testified at Beck's sentencing that Molloy was "a young, beautiful woman" and that "there were a lot of men in her life that wanted to hang out with her." The detective also stated: "He said he was going to have sex with her one way or another." The victim's father, Johnny Molloy, also spoke at the sentencing, telling the judge: "She was truly something special, and she is missed every second of every day." Beck chose not to speak during his sentencing hearing. He is in custody at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. His lawyer asked for a one-year review of the case, citing Beck's diagnosis of bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia, trauma from his father's death, and a lack of criminal history. Beck is scheduled to appear in court again on August 28, 2026, for the review.