Patient with IV in arm admits to brutal stabbing death of 61-year-old in 2006, cops say

A man confessed to the brutal stabbing of a 61-year-old man, whose killing had stumped officers for 18 years, Kentucky police say.

Timothy Delehanty, 36, was a patient at St. Elizabeth Covington Hospital when he tried leaving the facility Sunday, Jan. 21, with an IV still in his arm, Elsmere Police Department police said.

When officers arrived, Delehanty told them he “wanted to talk about” the 2006 cold case killing of Paul Clayton, according to a criminal complaint

Clayton was found dead in his Elsmere home in December 2006 when his coworkers went to check on him, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Delehanty was later seen driving Clayton’s Ford Thunderbird, but murder charges were never filed.

That is until Sunday, when Delehanty admitted to stabbing Clayton as many as 60 times, police said. Delehanty said he then fled in the victim’s car.

A motive for the attack is unclear. Delehanty was 19 at the time of the killing.

“This is a first in my career,” Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders said in an interview with WXIX. “This the first time we’ve had a suspect just show up and want to talk about a case.”

Police charged Delehanty with murder, according to court documents. He was arraigned Tuesday, Jan. 24, and is due in court again Jan. 31.

He is being held in jail without bond, WCPO reported.

Prosecutors said Delehanty faces 20 to 50 years or life in prison if found guilty, according to the Enquirer.

“I don’t think someone ever gets peace from something like this,” Jennifer Parker, Clayton’s daughter, told WXIX. “It’s sad, it’s happy — I think it’s every emotion that a human has.”

Elsmere is a suburb of Cincinnati in northern Kentucky.