Matthew Scott Kelemen, a renowned journalist based in Las Vegas, met a tragic end allegedly at the hands of his roommate, Joseph Del Rivo, 63. Kelemen, 56, had previously expressed concerns about his deteriorating relationship with Del Rivo to his family and friends, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Kelemen had been living with Del Rivo for about six months and had described him as a “disgusting slob,” according to his sister, Mikki Zaferatos. Kelemen had planned to confront Del Rivo about their living situation but had expressed apprehension about how Del Rivo might react.
The confrontation did occur, and it ended fatally for Kelemen. His body was found in a storage unit, stuffed into what his family believes was a metal amplifier box. The police were alerted to the situation when employees at the storage facility reported a foul smell coming from the box that Del Rivo had dropped off.
Upon arrival, the police discovered Kelemen’s decomposing body and immediately called in homicide detectives due to the suspicious circumstances surrounding the case. Zaferatos learned about her brother’s murder from a call she received from the medical examiner’s office.
Del Rivo quickly became the prime suspect in the murder case after the police spoke with the storage facility employees. However, before the police could question him, Del Rivo died in a high-speed car chase in Utah. He was reportedly driving at speeds of over 140 mph when he crashed his car and was thrown from the vehicle.
The Utah Highway Patrol had spotted Del Rivo’s speeding car on Interstate 70 and had laid out road spikes to stop him. Del Rivo swerved to avoid the spikes, resulting in the fatal crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene.