James Krauseneck sentenced to 25 years to life in Brighton ax murder case

More than four decades ago, in a chilled February morning, Sara Krauseneck awoke to discover her mother's corpse in bed, an ax embedded in her head.

Then only a 3½-year-old toddler, Sara dressed herself in multiple sweaters and awaited the return of her father from work. It was hours later when James Krauseneck arrived at the Brighton home and found his wife murdered.

In late September of this year, a jury concluded that it was James Krauseneck who killed his wife, Cathleen "Cathy" Krauseneck, before he left for work. The jury convicted him of second-degree murder in a homicide that through the years became known in local crime lore as "the Brighton ax murder."

On Monday, at the sentencing of James Krauseneck, 70, Sara steadfastly supported her father, maintaining that he is a decent, loving and reserved man who has never demonstrated temper or anger. Throughout her life, she said, he has continued to speak lovingly of her late mother, and, she said, it is "absolutely inconceivable" that he could have committed such a brutal act.

Moments after she addressed the court at her father's sentencing, Cathy's father, 95-year-old Robert Schlosser, made clear that he is fully convinced of the guilt of his former son-in-law. "Jim, I hope you live for 100 years and enjoy your new home," he said in a statement to the court.

State Supreme Court Justice Charles Schiano Jr. then sentenced Krauseneck to the maximum sentence of 25 years to life. Schiano said as a former defense lawyer and town justice he sometimes had sleepless nights over the question of one's innocence or guilt.

"I lost no sleep over the verdict," Schiano said of the Krauseneck verdict.

James Krauseneck also spoke Monday, maintaining his innocence and saying he continues to think of his late wife. "To this day, it's still very difficult for me to talk about the circumstances regarding her death," he said. "... I miss Cathy so much."

For the court record, he presented Schiano with photos of his late wife, photos he provided, he said, to offset the gruesome posthumous ones shown of her at trial.

The minimum sentence for Krauseneck would have been 15 years to life.

In court Monday were police and prosecutors who have worked the case throughout the years, as well as supporters of the convicted and the victim.

"I am thankful that Cathleen’s family feels justice in today’s resolutions," District Attorney Sandra Doorley said in a statement. "Forty years later, her family can finally move on from this nightmare and continue their grief knowing that James Krauseneck will spend the rest of his days incarcerated."

Assistant District Attorney Patrick Gallagher said in court that "the defendant, James Krauseneck, murdered her before I was even born." Then, in 1982, Gallagher said, Cathleen's family, including her father, felt certain that James Krauseneck could not be the killer.

But, they eventually changed their minds to "the only conclusion, when you looked at the evidence," he said.

"Now the world knows, James Krauseneck is the Brighton ax murderer," Gallagher said.

Defense lawyer Michael Wolford, who has represented Krauseneck since the 1982 homicide, said there is no new evidence now that justifies the 2019 murder indictment or the recent guilty verdict. The only new evidence for the grand jury were forensics claims that placed the homicide before Krauseneck left for work, and those claims were widely rebutted by other experts at trial, he said.

Had other experts testified at the grand jury about the time of death, there may well have been no indictment, Wolford said.

Jurors, in fact, said in post-verdict interviews that they did not consider the issue of possible time of death as central to their conclusions. Instead, they agreed with the prosecution that the crime scene was staged — badly — and that the evidence, though circumstantial, pointed solely to James Krauseneck.

Defense lawyers argued that a sexual predator who lived nearby, and who has since died, was largely ignored by Brighton police and was the likely killer.

Krauseneck's attorneys say they think that have solid grounds for an appeal; prosecutors say that they think the verdict will withstand appellate challenges.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: James Krauseneck sentenced in Brighton NY ax murder case