Rebecca Klosterman

Robert Klosterman, US Navy

“Becky never called police because she feared it would make Robert angrier and jeopardize his career.” –The Virginia Pilot

Rebecca and Robert Klosterman were married in 1974 but by 2008 they were ready to call it quits after allegations of violence and an unfulfilled Navy career surfaced. The divorce was long, drawn out, and tense. Apparently finances and infidelity troubled the couple throughout their marriage. Then Rebecca learned Bob had a secret life after he admitted to her that he had been frequenting strip clubs and buying expensive gifts for strippers and waitresses. At some point, Bob also pointed a gun at Rebecca and then turned it on himself. During the gun incident, Rebecca called the police and got a temporary restraining order. As a result, Bob was forced to move out of the marital home and a few weeks later Rebecca filed for divorce. Apparently, Bob was angry that his wife had become entrenched in the 1991 Tailhook scandal. Rebecca was friends with the wife of an officer who was compelled to testify in a 1993 hearing because she witnessed the drunken and misogynistic crowd at the Las Vegas convention.

When Bob was being considered for a promotion to Admiral, he learned from a friend that the selection board discussed his wife’s involvement with the Tailhook scandal investigation. Robert never made the cut for Admiral despite his impressive resume and he blamed his wife. In 1997, Robert Klosterman retired from the Navy after 28 years and the couple settled in Norfolk, Virginia. Bob’s resentment towards Rebecca for his failure to make admiral and his bitterness built up and eventually swelled to violence. This would not only drive Rebecca toward divorce in 2008 but it would end in a murder-suicide. On May 2, 2010, Bob shot his wife in the chest killing her and then called police to report that he shot Rebecca. When the police arrived, they found the couple dead, both killed by single shots to their chests. Next to the bodies, police found a 3 page letter from Bob.

ID Go: Bob and Becky Klosterman are a model couple – fit, attractive and well spoken. Bob is a retired high ranking Navy commander and Becky a busy homemaker. Their life seems ideal, until one of them snaps. Suddenly, their perfect life explodes at the seams. -Dead Silence, Fatal Vows

Related Links:
Police identify murder-suicide victims
Man, wife dead in Norfolk in apparent murder-suicide
Robert C. Klosterman, former CO of the aircraft carrier John Stennis, suspect in murder-suicide
Police: Former Stennis CO kills self, wife
As officer rose, marriage crumbled, ending in murder-suicide
Two bullets shattered Navy couple’s facade of perfection
US Navy Tailhook Scandal (1991)
Dead Silence | Fatal Vows | Investigation Discovery (website)
Dead Silence | Fatal Vows | Investigation Discovery (YouTube)