On June 3, 1985, a Chevrolet Blazer was involved in a police chase in Summerfield, north of Greensboro, North Carolina. Law enforcement tried to stop the vehicle, driven by Fritz Klenner, who was a suspect in the murders of three people in Winston-Salem and two in Kentucky.
Also inside the Blazer on that day were Susie Newsom Lynch and her two sons, John and Jim. No one really thought the outcome of the chase would end this way. Klenner had become romantically involved with Lynch after her divorce. Only one problem existed: they were first cousins.
Klenner was a con man who deceived family and friends for years. He pretended to be a medical student at Duke University, and later added CIA to his fake resume. Many believe the killing spree occurred because Lynch believed her ex-husband and other family members were hatching a plan to take the boys from her.
The walls began to close around the couple, weeks leading to the police chase. Klenner had loaded the vehicle with weapons and even rigged an explosive device inside. On the day the chase started, the SBI, Greensboro Police, Kentucky State Police, and Forsyth County deputies followed Kenner in unmarked cars to the apartment, where Susie lived. The two hurriedly loaded camping supplies inside before bringing the children and the family dog out. As they exited the complex onto the road, authorities quickly moved in, alerting Klenner to pull over. Klenner had no plans of stopping that day and was prepared to go out in a blaze of glory.
Klenner is suspected of killing his cousin’s former mother-in-law and her daughter in Kentucky in 1984, attempting to make the ex-husband appear to have mafia ties. In May 1985, he struck again, when he killed Lynch’s parents and grandmother in their Winston-Salem home. This time, he had help from a friend who honestly believed he was auditioning for the CIA.
The crimes are often called the “Bitter Blood Murders.” On June 3, Klenner and Lynch were fully aware that law enforcement was closing in when they packed the Blazer. As Fritz Klenner put his foot to the accelerator to get away, the two boys were believed to have been asleep in the back. It was later revealed that the young boys had been poisoned with cyanide and shot by their mother.
Klenner hit the switch and detonated the bomb, which is believed to have been under Lynch at the time. Susie’s remains were recovered in a nearby culvert, blown apart. One of the Kentucky detectives approached a barely alive Fritz Klenner, who lay in a nearby ditch, clinging to life. The detective had hoped he would receive a confession, but Klenner could only gurgle on the blood from his internal injuries, and he died.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
Image: Susie Newsom Lynch and her two sons.