MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – A prisoner pleaded no contest in the murder of his cellmate at the Macomb County Correction Facility in Lenox.
Michael Ketchum went to breakfast on Oct. 28, 2022, and allegedly stabbed another inmate multiple times.
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When officers went to his cell, they found Ketchum’s cellmate, Ruben Martinez, hogtied, strangled and stabbed to death underneath his bunk.
Ketchum was charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder and being a prisoner in possession of a weapon. Ketchum pleaded no contest to first-degree murder.
According to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, the other charges will be dismissed at sentencing because the second victim refused to fully cooperate with the initial investigation.
Ketchum agreed to the plea, knowing that the first-degree murder conviction would absorb the sentences for the other charges.
He is expected to be sentenced on April 23, 2025.
“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.
