Discovery Channel star Chad Ollinger is facing a murder charge after being accused of beating his jail cellmate to death days before he was supposed to be released.
The Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch star, 41, has been behind bars at Las Vegas’ Clark County Detention Center since October on charges stemming from an alleged contempt of court.
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On Friday, correction officers were conducting routine cell checks around 11:20 p.m. when they found Ollinger’s cellmate “lying motionless inside of a cell,” according to a statement released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
“Officers made entry and observed the inmate was suffering from apparent blunt force injuries,” according to the police statement. “The other cellmate who was identified as 41-year-old Chad Ollinger was taken into custody.”
Officers rendered medical aid to the victim, who has been identified as 42-year-old Christopher Kelly by the Clark County Coroner’s Office, but Kelly was pronounced dead at the scene. LVMPD homicide detectives were then notified and responded to the scene.
Police say that detectives learned of a physical altercation between Ollinger and Kelly that occurred prior to the latter’s death. Ollinger has since been rebooked for Open Murder, and the investigation into Kelly’s death is ongoing.
Ollinger, who appeared in nearly every episode of Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch alongside his father, Duane Ollinger, has had numerous run-ins with the law over the years. In 2024, he was charged with evading arrest after getting into a police chase in Amarillo, Tex., and he was also later charged with driving with an invalid license, as per NBC News.
In October of this year, he was arrested and taken into custody in Nevada after being identified as a fugitive who was being sought for contempt of court in another state. He was sentenced on Dec. 18 on the contempt charge and was originally scheduled to be released on Jan. 12. Ollinger’s next scheduled hearing is set for Dec. 30, and he is being held without bond.
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