LINO LAKES, Minn. — A 42-year-old man is accused of killing his cell mate earlier this month at a correctional facility in Lino Lakes.
On Monday, Kyle John Kelbe was charged with second-degree murder after allegedly admitting to assaulting and strangling his cell mate, later identified as 63-year-old Steven Paul Patchen, on Oct. 4. According to court documents, Kelbel alerted a guard the next morning at around 11:10 a.m. The Midwest Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and determined Patchen died by strangulation.
Prosecutors say Kelbel also admitted to killing Patchen while on the phone with a known contact from his visiting log. The call was recorded and was handed over to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, according to court documents.
Prosecutors say Kelbel told BCA agents that he "just snapped" after he had "had words" with Patchen that night.
Kelbel was serving a life sentence for the murder of his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter.
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