'48 Hours' to feature Brighton ax murder case. What to know
The brutal murder of Cathy Krauseneck is the focus of Saturday's episode of 48 Hours at 10 p.m. on Rochester's CBS affiliate (Channel 8).
In the episode, titled "The Brighton Ax Murder," journalist Erin Moriarty interviewed Krauseneck's relatives and friends and police investigators about the 1982 killing of the wife and mother.
In September, more than 40 years after she was killed, a state Supreme Court jury found Cathleen's husband, James Krauseneck Jr., guilty of second-degree murder. The jury determined that on Feb. 19, 1982, James Krauseneck picked up an ax and savagely brought it into the head of his 29-year-old wife as she slept in the couple's bed in their home on Del Rio Drive in Brighton.
The couple's daughter Sara, who was a 3-year-old toddler and inside the home at the time her mother was killed, steadfastly stood by her father. Now 71, James Krauseneck Jr. is serving 25 years to life and is currently housed at the Clinton Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Clinton County.
The case against Krauseneck was entirely circumstantial. The prosecution's central argument was this: There was no evidence of other perpetrators, so who else would it likely be?
During the hour-long episode, Moriarty interviews investigators and lawyers involved in the case, Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley, jurors and longtime Democrat and Chronicle reporter Gary Craig. Cathy Krauseneck's father Robert Schlosser and Sharon Krauseneck - James Krauseneck's wife of more than two decades - were both also featured in the episode.
More: 1982 ax murder in Brighton NY: What to know about the crime, people and trial
“Jim … is a decent, loving human being,” Sharon Krauseneck told Moriarty during her interview. “There is no way Jim would ever, ever have done anything like that.”
Krauseneck's daughter Sara was also interviewed, but does not appear on camera, Moriarty said.
"This was a completely new one for me...it surprised me, troubled me and baffled me," Moriarty said in an interview this week, adding that the case was "unusual in so many ways."
The weapon, the toddler who spent hours in the home alone with her mother's body, the 40-year-span between the crime and conviction centered on a man who did not have a history of violence before or after the killing.
"How could you not cover a story like that?" Moriarty asked.
Brighton ax murder case: Our past coverage
From 2016:
More: Brighton cops tackle unsolved ax homicide
From 2019:
More: New evidence in Brighton ax murder largely unknown, family suspected husband for decades
More: Brighton ax murder: What we know about the 1982 homicide and James Krauseneck's arrest
More: Sister of ax murder victim speaks out: Family will see 'justice for Cathy'
More: Famous forensic pathologist to testify in Brighton ax murder trial
More: Father determined to see justice done for his daughter 38 years later
From 2021:
More: Brighton ax murder, subject of novel, to be adapted as Netflix film
More: Hearing set to revisit Brighton ax murder case 39 years later as husband stands accused
More: Steady advance of justice or act of desperation? Brighton ax murder hearing begins
More: Brighton ax murder hearing brings a parade of retired cops, prosecutors
More: Brighton ax murder hearing testimony discusses investigative measures
More: Brighton ax murder: 'We only get one chance at this,' prosecutor says
More: Pretrial hearing in Brighton ax murder could be a precursor to battles at trial
More: Officer tussled with Krauseneck at scene of Brighton ax murder in 1982, court hears
More: Trial date set in Brighton ax murder case, 40 years after homicide
From 2022:
More: Brighton ax murder: Judge allows evidence suspect's wife found out he lied about Ph.D.
More: Jury selection opens Monday in 1982 Brighton ax murder case
More: 'Brighton ax murder' trial set to begin 40 years after grisly homicide
More: 'Tale of two stories': Brighton ax murder trial opens with examination of 'unusual' burglary scene
More: Medical expert Baden and defense spar over time of death in Brighton ax murder
More: Dueling opinions: Estimated time of 1982 Brighton ax murder will be key to alibi of accused husband
More: Is the evidence 'common sense' or 'illusion'? Jury to decide in Brighton ax murder trial
More: Four decades after crime, a husband convicted in Brighton ax murder
More: James Krauseneck jury foreperson talks about the verdict
More: James Krauseneck sentenced to 25 years to life in Brighton ax murder case
From 2023:
More:A true-crime book. A Netflix adaptation. Why the Brighton ax murder case continues to fascinate
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: '48 Hours' to feature Brighton ax murder case: What to know
