Justices uphold convictions of man who confessed to 2006 killing after 17 years
Timothy Delehanty, 38, was sentenced in Kenton County Circuit Court in August 2024 to 20 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to numerous charges, including murder. He was also convicted of attempted murder for assaulting a fellow jail inmate while awaiting trial.
As part of his appeal, Delehanty argued that the judge presiding over his case erred by denying motions to withdraw his guilty pleas and by not holding a hearing on his request to represent himself.
In a June 20 opinion, the justices unanimously denied Delehanty's appeal, saying the trial court did not rule in error on either of those issues.
Travis Bewley, an attorney representing Delehanty in his appeal, declined to comment on the justices' decision.
Delehanty's early 2024 arrest was prompted by an unlikely confession 17 years after Clayton's killing.
Clayton was found dead at his Eagle Drive home in December 2006. Prosecutors say he was lying on the floor of his living room, which was covered in blood, and the residence had been ransacked.
Delehanty was quickly identified as a person of interest but wasn't charged in connection with the killing until January 2024, when he admitted stabbing Clayton 50 to 60 times before fleeing in the slain man's vehicle.
At least one witness told police that Delehanty had been driving Clayton's 1996 Ford Thunderbird, according to earlier Enquirer reporting.
Police at the time said Delehanty "rented" the car to a 16-year-old, who was later found asleep inside the vehicle in Covington. Delehanty was identified in a lineup and arrested for receiving stolen property.
The case went cold for the better part of 20 years until Delehanty was stopped by police while trying to leave the St. Elizabeth Hospital in Covington with an IV still in his arm. He told the officers that he was responsible for Clayton's death, according to a criminal citation.
At the time of the killing, Delehanty, then 19, was living at a trailer park in Elsmere with his mother just a few doors down from Clayton, Detective Nick Klaiss said during a court hearing.
When asked during an interview about why he stabbed Clayton, Delehanty responded that he had 'this overwhelming desire to go kill him," Klaiss said, adding that Delehanty was able to recall details that only someone at the scene would know.
While Delehanty has since argued that his public defender failed to adequately represent him, the justices disagreed.
They noted that his trial lawyer concentrated on developing a mental health defense 'based around what Delehanty shared about his state of mind around the time of the murder,' court records state. However, the attorney found after reviewing medical records that any mental health issues were likely 'drug-induced' and there was no evidence of psychosis.
His attorney also negotiated with prosecutors on a plea deal for roughly a month, but was unable to secure a sentencing recommendation that pleased Delehanty. Prosecutors were seeking a minimum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
After Delehanty assaulted the inmate at the Kenton County Detention Center, prosecutors sought life without parole. Prosecutors indicated they could pursue the death penalty if Delehanty refused to accept a plea.
'However, when Delehanty attempted to murder a fellow inmate, which was captured on video surveillance, his bargaining power nearly vanished,' the justices' opinion states.
Instead of receiving life without parole or a death sentence, as well as a consecutive sentence of up to life in prison, he received concurrent life sentences with parole eligibility after 20 years, the opinion states.
The justices found that Delehanty's request to represent himself was a reaction to his belief that the court was about to sentence him for the attempted murder case, despite his request to withdraw the guilty plea.
'Delehanty was visibly agitated and panicked, thinking his attorney was not advocating for him,' the court said, adding that he abandoned the request after the issue was settled.
The justices also found Delehanty made knowing admissions to the jail attack, which was caught on camera, and the murder. He admitted to confessing to the killing while speaking with police and said in court, 'I killed Paul Clayton.'
Delehanty is currently incarcerated at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex and will be eligible for parole in early 2044.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kentucky Supreme Court upholds convictions in 2006 NKY killing
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