MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – A Michigan prisoner has pleaded no contest to first-degree murder in the 2022 death of his cellmate, officials said.
Michael Ketchum, 47, is accused of murdering his cellmate before stabbing another inmate multiple times at the Macomb County Correctional Facility in Lenox.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23, 2025, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.
On Oct. 18, 2022, Ketchum allegedly went to breakfast, where he stabbed another inmate. This inmate survived the attack.
After that incident, officers went to Ketchum’s cell and found his cellmate, Ruben Martinez, tied up, strangled and stabbed to death under his bunk.
Ketchum was charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder and prisoner in possession of a weapon.
He pleaded no contest to the first-degree murder charge, and officials say the other charges are going to be dismissed at his sentencing because the other victim didn’t cooperate with the initial investigation.
“By pleading no contest to First Degree Murder, the defendant has taken responsibility for his actions, ensuring justice for the victim’s family and his loved ones. This guarantees that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.
