The death of a 57-year-old man jailed and charged with killing a man and dumping his body on Baywood Greens golf course last month is under investigation by Delaware State Police.
The Delaware Department of Correction said in a release Tuesday that Michael A. Klein, who has a “past history of chronic health conditions” and was being housed in the prison medical area at Sussex Correctional Institution, was found unresponsive in his cell about 8:15 a.m. during a routine check. This prompted prison staff to issue a medical alert, according to officials, but Klein was found to have no pulse.
Prison officials said CPR was started and paramedics were called to the prison for additional support. Klein was pronounced dead at 8:58 a.m., according to the prison.
Klein, from Millsboro, had been in state custody since June 4 and was being held as a “detentioner” after failing to post $1,060,500 cash bail for charges of first-degree murder, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, and breach of conditions of bond during commitment, according to the prison.
Court records used to arrest Klein show that he told at least six people he had killed someone before he was charged with fatally stabbing 64-year-old Lewis Fetrow. At the time of his arrest, he was already in prison for an unrelated charge, according to court records.
When Klein – who, according to court documents, also went by “Skinhead M. Klein” – was arrested, he told police he knew where a dead body was in Long Neck because he was hiding in some bushes and saw two Black people stab Fetrow five times, according to the arrest warrant.
COURT RECORDSMillsboro man told people he ‘killed a man,’ but gave police another story
Though he said he never got within 15 feet of the body, the Division of Forensic Science was able to link Klein to the killing after finding Fetrow’s DNA in blood stains on Klein’s shoes, according to court documents.
Klein was slated to appear in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing.
Prison officials said Klein’s body was released to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science to determine the cause of death.
Reporter Shannon McNaught contributed.
