1982 ax murder in Brighton NY: What to know about the crime, people and trial
The murder of Cathy Krauseneck is the focus of an episode of Dateline. Here is what you need to know about the crime, people and trial:
What happened in the 'Brighton ax murder'?
On Feb. 19, 1982, Cathleen "Cathy" Krauseneck was found in the bed of her Brighton home, murdered by a single ax blow to her head.
Brighton is a suburb of Rochester, NY.
Cathy Krauseneck was 29 and her husband, James, spent the day at his job at Eastman Kodak Co. When he returned home he found his wife dead, and his daughter Sara, who was 3½-years old, alone in the home. The Krausenecks, originally from Michigan, had only lived in the community about six months.
JUMP TO: Our links to our coverage, dating back years
The case went unsolved for nearly four decades then, in a surprise, James Krauseneck was indicted in 2019 on a second-degree murder charge. The trial was delayed several times by the pandemic, and, in September 2022, a jury convicted Krauseneck of the crime.
Sara has stood by her father and insisted he is innocent.
Krauseneck, now 71, is imprisoned at the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility as his lawyers craft an appeal.
Who is James Krauseneck Jr.?
At the time of the murder, James Krauseneck worked as an economist at Eastman Kodak Co. He had previously taught at Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Virginia. Krauseneck’s father, who died in 2019 at 94, and uncle ran a carpet store in Mount Clemens, Michigan. James Jr. and Cathy married in Mount Clemens in 1974.
After the murder, Krauseneck returned to Michigan with his daughter, Sara. He would marry three more times, and has been with his current wife, Sharon, since 1999.
Police investigators learned after the homicide that Krauseneck never completed his doctorate as he maintained on his job application for both the teaching and the Kodak jobs. He mostly finished his work but his dissertation was not accepted and he needed to do additional work, but never did.
Prosecutors maintained that this was a point of contention with the couple, while defense lawyers disputed this.
Who was Cathy Krauseneck?
Cathy Schlosser — Cathy Krauseneck's maiden name — was the second oldest child of six from a Detroit-region family of four girls and two boys. Their father, Robert was a truck driver, first working for a company that transported concrete and later with his own gravel business, Schlosser Trucking.
Cathy was effervescent, energetic and fully engaged, whether at play or at school, according to family and friends.
A half-acre Schlosser family home was such a gathering place for neighborhood kids, who sometimes played soccer there, that Robert Schlosser began to wonder why he even closed the basement window.
"They were breaking it all the time," told the Democrat and Chronicle in a 2019 interview.
Cathy Behe, a childhood friend of Cathy Krauseneck, told the Democrat and Chronicle, "She was everybody's friend." The two had remained close through high school and into adulthood.
Cathy Schlosser and James Krauseneck married in 1974. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, for Krauseneck to attend graduate school at Colorado State University. While there, Cathy worked as an orthopedic therapist.
Sara was born in Fort Collins. The family of three moved to Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1979 for Krauseneck to teach economics at Lynchburg College before the move to Rochester.
More:Who is Annet Schlosser? Sister of ax murder victim said 'my family will see justice'
More:Who is Markus Spaker? Officer recalls being first at scene of Brighton ax murder
What was the evidence against James Krauseneck?
Oddly, this was not a case so much of a "smoking gun" as it was a case of a lack of significant proof against anyone else. Prosecutors and police say advanced forensics testing, resumed in 2015 when a new look was taken at the murder, did not lead to any new suspects.
They coupled that with James Krauseneck's statements about the murder scene and what was found and contended that his story was implausible — a contention with which the jury agreed. In what was first presented as a burglary-robbery, police maintained that the evidence of a burglary made no sense: for instance, a tea set left behind was almost too neatly arranged on the first floor, and there was money and other items in the open and ignored in the second-floor bedroom where Cathy was killed.
There was a shoeprint on a garbage bag left on the first floor determined to match boating-style shoes worn by Krauseneck. The defense argued that there were other similar shoes, but the jury determined it would be odd for a burglar to choose these shoes on a cold and wintry day in Rochester.
As well, the killer used an ax maul to break a window to enter the home, then used a separate ax — both were at the Krauseneck home — for the murder. Prosecutors also maintained that this was illogical.
"The person had to go and get the ax and bypass the maul and go upstairs and see her lying in bed and, with one shot ... kill her, and then leave the bedroom where there was cash and jewelry and little things that were easily carried out," the jury foreperson, Helen Newman, told the Democrat and Chronicle after the verdict.
Were there other suspects in the 1982 ax murder in Brighton?
The defense for James Krauseneck highlighted a sociopathic sex offender and killer who lived within minutes of the Krausenecks, and who appeared to be largely overlooked by Brighton police in 1982, even though they were alerted to him.
This suspect, Edward Laraby, made admissions to the homicide before he died in prison in 2014. But police decided that the confession was rife with errors, as were Laraby admissions to other crimes and murders, and Laraby was trying to negotiate a move from prison for his final days.
Police did determine, based on the evidence, that Laraby was responsible for the strangulation death of Greece music teacher Stephanie Kupchynsky in 1991.
Why the notoriety of this case?
As state Supreme Court Justice John Ark, who was a Brighton town justice in 1982, told the Democrat and Chronicle this year, "The chatter has continued for 40 years — the 'Brighton ax murder.' There's nothing more primordial than an ax murder."
Both "Dateline" and "48 Hours" followed the case. As well, there is a novel loosely based on the murder; the 2016 literary thriller from Elizabeth Brundage is entitled "All Things Cease to Appear," and that became the foundation for a Netflix film, "Things Heard & Seen."
Also, in 2022, Rachel Rear wrote a true-crime saga of the murder of her stepsister, Stephanie Kupchynsky — the book is entitled, "Catch the Sparrow: A Search for a Sister and the Truth of Her Murder" — and Laraby is a central figure in that book.
Past coverage of the ax murder near Rochester NY
2016: The ax murder case revisited
From May, 2016:Brighton cops tackle unsolved ax homicide
2019: James Krauseneck arrested
From November, 2019:What we know about the 1982 Brighton ax murder and James Krauseneck's arrest
From November, 2019:Sister of Brighton ax murder victim speaks out: Family will see 'justice for Cathy'
From November, 2019:Famous forensic pathologist to testify in Brighton ax murder trial
From December, 2019:Father determined to see justice done for his daughter 38 years later
2020: Details emerge in the ax murder of a Rochester mom
From January, 2020:James Krauseneck's 1982 police statements reveals new details of wife's homicide
From March, 2020: Prosecution argues time of death undermines husband's Kodak alibi
From June, 2020:Killer Ed Laraby said he killed Cathy Krauseneck, husband's defense team want files unsealed
2021: The case against James Krauseneck is built
From April 2021:Brighton ax murder, subject of novel, to be adapted as Netflix film
From June, 2021:Brighton ax murder: 'We only get one chance at this,' prosecutor says
From June, 2021:Brighton ax murder hearing brings a parade of retired cops, prosecutors
From December, 2021:Electric blanket emerges as point of contention in Brighton ax murder
From December, 2021:Officer tussled with Krauseneck at scene of Brighton ax murder in 1982, court hears
2022: The ax murder trial and verdict
From July, 2022: Judge allows evidence suspect's wife found out he lied about Ph.D.
From September, 2022:Is the evidence 'common sense' or 'illusion'? Jury to decide in Brighton ax murder trial
From September, 2022:'Tale of two stories': Brighton ax murder trial opens with examination of 'unusual' burglary scene
From September, 2022:Four decades after crime, a husband convicted in Brighton ax murder
From September, 2021:James Krauseneck jury foreperson talks about the verdict
From November, 2021:James Krauseneck sentenced to 25 years to life in Brighton ax murder case
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: 1982 ax murder of Rochester mom: What to know about the people, trial
