ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — In a shocking televised confession, a 53-year-old man named Lorenz Kraus admitted to killing and burying his parents in their backyard eight years ago in upstate New York. The revelation hit the airwaves during an interview with CBS6 and led to his arrest moments after he left the studio.
Kraus asserted that the deaths of his parents, Franz and Theresia Kraus, were mercy killings, claiming they chose to leave this life due to their ailing conditions. He stated that his parents were still receiving Social Security benefits despite being missing for years, prompting a police investigation that uncovered their bodies.
During the interview, anchor Greg Floyd inquired, They knew that this was it for them, that they were perishing at your hand? to which Kraus replied, Yes. And it was so quick. Initially hesitant to fully confess, Kraus eventually admitted to killing his parents, explaining, I did my duty to my parents. My concern for their misery was paramount. After the interview, a public defender entered a not guilty plea for Kraus during his court appearance.
Stone Grissom, the news director at CBS6, revealed that the interview began when Kraus emailed a two-page statement to the station. When Grissom called to verify his statement, Kraus admitted to burying his parents, but initially invoked his right to silence when asked directly if he killed them.
The case raises questions about potential media complicity in law enforcement investigations, as noted by Kraus' attorney, who plans to evaluate the circumstances surrounding the confession. The bodies are believed to be those of Kraus' parents, but positive identifications are pending.
