The January call later became a murder case after the woman died in February and a grand jury returned an indictment.
LEWES, Del. — A hotel lobby report turned into a first-degree murder case after police said a Lewes man told staff he had killed his grandmother, then troopers found her unconscious in a room.
The account released by Delaware State Police places hotel staff at the first public moment of the case. The workers called authorities Jan. 29 after a guest made the statement at the Hyatt House in Lewes. The injured woman, later identified as 72-year-old Elizabeth Fritchey, died Feb. 10. Her grandson, 30-year-old Dempsey Fritchey, was indicted April 13.
Police said the call came at about 5:45 p.m. from the Hyatt House at 17254 Five Points Square. Staff reported that a guest said he had killed his grandmother in one of the hotel rooms. Troopers found Dempsey Fritchey near the lobby when they arrived. According to police, he told them he “may have killed his grandmother.” Officers detained him without incident before moving deeper into the hotel to locate the room tied to the report.
The room search brought troopers to Elizabeth Fritchey. Police said she was unconscious and had injuries to her face and head. Troopers provided medical aid until emergency medical services arrived. She was then taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries. At that point, the case was not yet a homicide. Dempsey Fritchey was arrested on a felony assault charge, and police said the investigation was continuing because of the severity of the woman’s injuries.
Detectives later described the alleged assault as sudden. Police said Dempsey Fritchey and Elizabeth Fritchey were staying together in the hotel room when he assaulted her with his hands and feet. The release did not describe any weapon, and police did not identify a motive. The wording of the initial account left several key points unanswered, including what the two were doing in the room before the attack, how long the assault lasted and whether anyone else was nearby.
The lobby statement shaped how the case unfolded. There was no public report that hotel workers had to identify an unknown suspect or chase someone from the building. Police said the person who made the report to staff was the same person troopers encountered near the lobby. That narrow sequence gave investigators a starting point: the staff report, the suspect’s alleged statement to troopers and the condition of the woman found in the room.
The first criminal charge reflected Elizabeth Fritchey’s condition on Jan. 29. Police charged Dempsey Fritchey with assault in the first degree, a felony tied to conduct that created a risk of death and caused serious injury. He was taken to Troop 7, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $300,000 cash bond. The case changed after doctors could not save Elizabeth Fritchey.
Police said she died Feb. 10 from the injuries she received during the assault. That death opened the door for a homicide charge. A Sussex County grand jury indicted Dempsey Fritchey on April 13 for first-degree murder, and state police announced the indictment May 1. The announcement said he remained committed to the Delaware Department of Correction. It did not provide a trial date or list any future hearing.
The location added another layer to the police response. The Hyatt House is in the Five Points area, a busy section outside Lewes where commercial properties sit near roads that carry local and beach-bound traffic. Police have not said how many guests were in the hotel at the time or whether any rooms were evacuated. They also have not said whether hotel surveillance video, keycard records or hallway activity formed part of the investigation.
Police have identified the victim and defendant as relatives, but they have not released details about their relationship beyond the grandmother and grandson connection. No public police account has said where Elizabeth Fritchey lived, why she and Dempsey Fritchey were at the hotel or how long they had been staying there. Those unanswered facts remain outside the official record, leaving the known timeline focused on the evening call, the hospital stay and the later indictment.
The case moved through three clear stages over nearly three months. First came the emergency response and felony assault arrest on Jan. 29. Then came Elizabeth Fritchey’s death on Feb. 10. Finally, the grand jury indictment on April 13 changed the legal charge to first-degree murder. Police made that update public May 1, saying the case remained with state police investigators and the Department of Correction still had custody of Fritchey.
Fritchey has not been convicted of the charge. The indictment is a formal accusation that allows the murder case to proceed in court. The public file described by police still leaves several matters unresolved, including motive, a detailed account of the moments before the alleged attack and the next scheduled court date.
Author note: Last updated May 23, 2026.