Murder charge: Convicted child killer used a string to strangle his Lino Lakes cellmate

A man serving life in prison for killing a child grabbed a string and strangled his cellmate in Lino Lakes prison, according to a murder charge filed Monday.

Kyle J. Kelbel, 42, was charged in Anoka County District Court with second-degree intentional murder in connection with the Oct. 5 attack on 63-year-old Steven Paul Patchen, who was serving nearly 20 years for criminal sexual conduct.

Kelbel's next court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5. Court records do not list an attorney for him. Since the killing, Kelbel has been transferred to Oak Park Heights prison, the state's highest security facility.

Kelbel is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder out of Ramsey County stemming from the December 2000 killing of his girlfriend's 2½-year-old daughter in Maplewood.

According to Monday's criminal complaint:

Kelbel told a corrections officer late in the morning of Oct. 5 that Patchen was dead and that he killed him. Patchen was declared dead in his cell less than 20 minutes later.

Kelbel told state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) agents that he "just snapped" and beat Patchen, the complaint read.

Kelbel said he then grabbed Patchen from his lower bunk, slammed him to the floor, and punched and kicked him. He said he took a string used to hold the cell door open and strangled Patchen with it.

After Patchen died, Kelbel explained, he put his cellmate in clean clothes, placed him in the bunk, covered him up and positioned him on his side to make it appear that he was sleeping. Kelbel then went to sleep.

Kelbel said he awoke the next morning, went to a prison common area and told someone during a phone call that he killed Patchen. A recording of the call was collected by the BCA.