Dateline NBC to feature Brighton ax murder case: What to know
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The brutal murder of Cathy Krauseneck is the focus of Friday’s episode of Dateline at 9 p.m. on Rochester's NBC affiliate (Channel 10).
In the episode, titled "The Bad Man," journalist Andrea Canning 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 two-hour-long episode, Canning interviewed former Brighton Police Officer Markus Spaker, one of the first officers at the homicide scene who found Cathy dead "with an ax buried into her head," and retired Brighton Police Investigator Richard Corrigan, who interviewed James Krauseneck - and other relatives - days after the killing.
"I've had nightmares about it," Spaker said, "because the thought that the little girl was in the house all day with her mother."
Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley and Cathy Krauseneck's sister Annet Schlosser were both also featured in the episode.
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 2020:
More: Brighton ax murder: Prosecution argues time of death undermines husband's Kodak alibi
More: Krauseneck defense claims no new evidence to justify arrest in Brighton ax killing
More: James Krauseneck wants Brighton ax trial moved out of Monroe County
More: Electric blanket emerges as point of contention in Brighton ax murder
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
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Dateline NBC to feature 1982 ax murder of Rochester mom: What to know
