LEWES, Del. - A man initially arrested on charges of assaulting his grandmother in January has been formally indicted for murder.
As WBOC previously reported, police were called to the Hyatt House at Five Points Square in Lewes on Jan. 29, 2026 after 30-year-old Dempsey Fritchey said he possibly killed his grandmother.
Delaware State Police found the 72-year-old victim in a hotel room suffering from injuries to the face and head. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police. On Feb. 10, she succumbed to her injuries.
Fritchey has remained at the Delaware Department of Correction since the incident and was initially charged with felony first-degree assault.
On April 13, 2026, a Sussex County Grand Jury indicted Fritchey for first-degree murder. He remains at the Delaware Department of Correction awaiting trial.
Courtesy Delaware State Police
