Frederick Klenner

Background

Frederick Klenner was a dangerous offender. Police spotted his van on the outskirts of Greensboro, North Carolina, on June 3, 1985. A month earlier, he had slaughtered a family of three at Winston-Salem. He was also sought in connection with the 1984 murders of a mother and daughter in Prospect, Kentucky.

The case involved a bitter child custody dispute between “Fritz” and Suzie Sharp Newsom Lynch. The dispute and relationship preceded the brutal murders of her ex-husband’s mother and sister near Louisville, Kentucky, as well as her mother, father, and grandmother in Winston Salem, North Carolina.

Lynch’s involvement in the murders was suspected by many but was never proven. It was stated that “Fritz” murdered Lynch’s in-laws in Kentucky and that he was highly suspected of murdering Lynch’s parents and grandmother.

The offence

Klenner and Lynch ended their lives during a low-speed police chase on June 3, 1985. The detonation killed Klenner and his three passengers, including Lynch and her two young sons.

The case described murders connected to the following victims:

• A family of three slaughtered at Winston-Salem.
• A mother and daughter murdered in Prospect, Kentucky in 1984.
• Lynch’s ex-husband’s mother and sister near Louisville, Kentucky.
• Lynch’s mother, father, and grandmother in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
• The latest dead were identified as Susie Lynch and her two sons.

Investigation

Authorities were ready to subdue Klenner in the case of physical resistance, but they never got the chance. When Klenner’s van was stopped, he opened fire with a machine gun, wounding three officers in the initial burst of fire. Before they could respond in kind, he threw a switch and detonated an explosive charge inside the van.

Arrest

Klenner’s death occurred when authorities began closing in on them during a low-speed police chase.

Outcome

Klenner committed suicide by bomb to avoid arrest on June 3, 1985. The detonation inside the van killed himself and his three passengers.

The three passengers included:

• Susie Lynch
• her two sons

It was stated that the two sons and Lynch were related by blood or marriage to all of Klenner’s previous victims.

Other details

Frederick Klenner was described as Frederick Robert “Fritz” Klenner Jr., and also referred to as Frederick “Fritz” Klenner Jr.

The case was associated with Michael Newton’s book An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers. It also was described as the subject of Jerry Bledsoe’s book Bitter Blood and a made-for-TV movie (In the Best of Families: Marriage, Pride & Madness) starring Harry Hamlin, Kelly McGillis and Keith Carradine.

The crimes were also described as the subject of the seasonal haunted house, “Nightmare on Scales Street,” housed in “Fritz’” father’s former downtown clinic. The clinic was identified as Waymark WM7CJ7.

The case entry listed: “Motive: PC” and “MO: Stabbed/shot five relatives of his girlfriend; later murdered the girlfriend and her two children.”