Stuti Gokhale
Brighton, New York, residents were shocked when a young mother named Cathy Krauseneck was found brutally murdered in her suburban home in 1982. Sadly, the lack of information and the primitive forensic technology at the time stalled justice from being delivered for almost four decades. NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Bad Man’ chronicles this shocking case and delves into how some dedicated detectives reopened the case several years later and apprehended Cathy’s killer. Now, if you wish to learn more about the same, here is everything you need to know!
How Did Cathy Krauseneck Die?
Born in 1952 in Mount Clemens, Michigan, Cathleen “Cathy” Krauseneck (née Schlosser) was the second-oldest among six children. Energetic and social since childhood, loved ones describe her as a cheerful person who quickly made friends and was well-liked by everyone. Cathy knew James Krauseneck since high school, but they only began dating after attending Western Michigan University together.
The couple tied the knot in 1974, and Cathy began working as an orthopedic therapist before giving birth to their daughter, Sara, in 1979. In 1982, the family of three lived in a suburban home on Del Rio Drive in Brighton, New York, and James worked as an economist at Eastman Kodak Co. Sadly, their idyllic life was shattered when Cathy’s life was cruelly cut short one winter morning.
On February 19, 1982, the police received a call from Eileen Marron-Keating, who reported a murder in her neighbor’s home. When first responders arrived at the house, they found 29-year-old Cathy lying dead on her bed, with an ax embedded in her forehead. An autopsy confirmed that she had been struck once on her head with the ax, resulting in her death.
Who Killed Cathy Krauseneck?
Since there were no signs of struggle in the bedroom, investigators theorized that Cathy was asleep when she was fatally attacked. James said he had been at work all day on February 19 while his wife and three-and-a-half-year-old daughter remained home. However, when he returned in the evening, he found Cathy dead on their bed and Sara sitting in another room. Thus, James immediately grabbed his daughter and ran to his neighbor’s house for help, where Eileen immediately called the police.
Initially, the police believed that Cathy had been a victim of a burglary robbery, as James reported that when he returned home, he found the garage door was open, and glass pieces were strewn on the floor. But given the lack of solid leads or suspects, the investigation gradually slowed, and the case went cold. After over three decades, news emerged in 2014 that the notorious convicted killer, Edward Laraby, had admitted to killing Cathy and another woman. Nevertheless, his claims were dismissed due to any substantial proof.
Cathy’s death remained unsolved for another year till the Brighton police decided to reopen the case with the FBI’s assistance in 2015. With the help of the forensic expert Dr. Michael Baden, the investigators could make some breakthrough discoveries. In 1982, the medical examiner who wrote Cathy’s forensic report mentioned that she was likely murdered between 4:30 AM and 7:30 AM on February 19. However, he also added two hours beyond that time window, indicating that she could have been murdered after James left for work at 6:30 AM.
On the contrary, Dr. Baden studied all the reports and stated that based on the digestive records of Cathy’s body, she had been murdered in her sleep before 6:30 AM. Hence, he completely dismissed the possibility of her being killed after her husband left the house. Moreover, when investigators studied the crime scene and matched it with James’ immediate statement after the murder, they found some discrepancies.
For instance, the police found the burglary he had claimed to be staged, as silverware and jewelry were neatly arranged near a garbage bag on the floor. Besides, money and other valuables in the bedroom the victim was found in were left intact. On top of that, a shoeprint on the garbage bag matched the boating-style shoes worn by James. Based on all these factors, as well as the lack of any other possible suspects, the investigators concluded that Cathy’s husband had likely murdered her in her sleep due to some conflict.
On top of that, the police felt James had allegedly staged a robbery scene before leaving for work to cover up his actions. This theory was supported by the discovery that he had lied about completing his doctorate to his employers at Eastman Kodak Co. They had discovered the same just a few days before Cathy’s death, which had allegedly led to conflicts between the couple. Furthermore, the investigators found marriage counseling pamphlets in the family’s car, indicating that Cathy and James’ marriage had been facing a possible strain.
Since it was established that James was the only person present at the crime scene except for the victim and their daughter, the police arrested him in 2019 and charged him with second-degree murder. Following many delays, his trial commenced in 2022, and he was eventually found guilty of the same, given all the evidence against him and Dr. Baden’s testimony. On November 7 of the same year, he was handed down the sentence of 25 years to life in prison, only to soon pass away while incarcerated.
Read More: James Krauseneck: How Did Cathy Krauseneck’s Husband Die?
