Brighton ax murder case focus of new '48 Hours' podcast: Krauseneck's wife speaks out
Justice can be an elusive target, and perhaps few criminal cases prove that like the notorious "Brighton ax murder" crime.
"It's a really interesting question: What is justice?" said Erin Moriarty, the CBS correspondent who reported on the 1982 murder for "48 Hours."
Moriarty returned to reporting on the Brighton murder of Cathy Krauseneck with a two-part podcast entitled "Did I Marry an Ax Murderer?" as part of her "My Life of Crime" series. The podcast, released late last month, includes the most extensive interviews yet with Sharon Krauseneck, whose husband was convicted last year of the February 1982 murder of his first wife, Cathy.
James Krauseneck Jr. was not charged with the murder until 2019, almost four decades after Cathy Krauseneck was found dead in the bed of the couple's Brighton home with an ax embedded into her skull.
NY's 'Brighton ax murder' conviction aftermath
While the title of Moriarty's podcast has a certain salaciousness, the podcast also focuses on what happened after Krauseneck's conviction and imprisonment. Shortly after being jailed, Krauseneck found he suffered from esophageal cancer. He died in prison in May at the age of 71.
His death set off an unusual legal scuffle, unusual not just because of posthumous nature of the litigation. With his death, Krauseneck's conviction was erased and indictment dismissed because he had a pending appeal. The Monroe County District Attorney's Office supported this, while Krauseneck's family wanted his appeal to continue after his death.
"Jim Krauseneck now technically after death managed to escape conviction," Moriarty said in a telephone interview. "His family isn't happy with that. They wanted a real review of the case."
Meanwhile, the question of whether the conviction could withstand an appellate challenge has gone unheard and unconsidered. Appellate judges declined to hear the appeal, deciding that New York precedent firmly establishes the posthumous dismissal without further litigation.
Krauseneck's lawyers contended that he did not receive a fair trial because of the loss of witnesses during the years between crime and trial — a number died — and the inability to deeply explore why the Brighton police seemed to largely ignore another possible suspect in 1982. A judge ruled the trial could go forward and that records from deceased police and witnesses sufficed for the trial
"You'll never really know after this length of time whether it was constitutionally permissible or not," said Moriarty, who is also a lawyer. "I had thought there was an interesting question on appeal. I never anticipated how the conviction would be thrown out."
Krauseneck's wife speaks out
For many, the chance to hear from Sharon Krauseneck, Krauseneck's fourth wife whom he married in 1999, may be the reason to give the podcast a listen. Sharon has maintained that her husband was innocent and nothing in his nature showed any signs of violence.
"Jim could never ever in this world do something so horrific," she told Moriarty, who interviewed her for the original "48 Hours" segment and does so again for the podcast.
The daughter of James and Cathy Krauseneck spoke out at sentencing, maintaining that her father was innocent. Meanwhile, Cathy Krauseneck's family feels sure of James Krauseneck's guilt.
"We're still left with two families with very different views about what happened," Moriarty said.
Cathy's father, Robert Schlosser, wanted James Krauseneck to spend many years in prison. Instead, he spent less than a year. James Krauseneck's family wants an appeal of the now-expunged conviction, but the efforts were rebuffed.
"I think there's really a sadness on both sides," Moriarty said.
Jane Laskey, one of the jurors in the trial, said: "I thought the interest in the Krauseneck case would fade after Jim's death and the resolution of the appeal. I think the lack of a clear motive is what drives many people to follow the case."
James Krauseneck had not completed his doctorate, but he told Eastman Kodak Company he had when he secured an economist job there. This has been put forward as a possible motive, with the premise that Cathy learned of the false claims and was upset with her husband.
Many will still wonder about Sharon Krauseneck's insistence of her husband's innocence, Laskey said.
"It questions our trust in a relationship and whether we really know someone, so her story and professing his innocence will continue to be followed," she said. "Wouldn't we all want a Sharon on our side?"
The CBS podcast also revisits information from the trial, including:
The defense attempts to link convicted sexual predator Ed Laraby to the murder. Laraby died in prison but made a confession to the murder. However, the statement contained errors and Laraby also made other confessions to crimes in what prosecutors said was an effort to go to hospitals outside of prison in his dying days.
The evidence that Brighton police questioned Laraby once in 1982 about the murder but did not follow up. Laraby lived minutes from the Krauseneck home.
The prosecution contention that the murder was staged to look like a burglary, but done very ineptly.
The lack of physical evidence at the scene of anyone other than the Krauseneck family.
Evidence that the killer wore a "boat shoe" type of footwear, as did James Krauseneck, and police claims that the killer would not have worn such a shoe on a snowy winter day in February when Cathy Krauseneck was killed.
Past coverage of the Brighton ax murder
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
2023: James Krauseneck falls ill, dies
From March, 2023: Brighton ax murderer James Krauseneck diagnosed with late-stage cancer
From May, 2023: James Krauseneck, convicted of Brighton ax murder, dies in prison
From May, 2023: Unusual twist in Brighton ax murder case: James Krauseneck appeals conviction from beyond the grave
From June, 2023: Lingering ax murder question: What are the rights of the dead?
From October, 2023: James Krauseneck conviction erased and Brighton ax murder case is over. Or is it?
— Gary Craig is a veteran reporter with the Democrat and Chronicle, covering courts and crime and more. You can reach Craig at gcraig@rocheste.gannett.com. He is the author of two books, including "Seven Million: A Cop, a Priest, a Soldier for the IRA, and the Still-Unsolved Rochester Brink's Heist."
— Gary Craig is a veteran reporter with the Democrat and Chronicle, covering courts and crime and more. You can reach Craig at gcraig@rocheste.gannett.com. He is the author of two books, including "Seven Million: A Cop, a Priest, a Soldier for the IRA, and the Still-Unsolved Rochester Brink's Heist."
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Brighton ax murder '48 Hours' podcast: Sharon Krauseneck speaks out
