A New York man, 54-year-old Lorenz Kraus, admitted on camera to murdering his parents and later burying their bodies in their home’s backyard. He then pleaded not guilty to his charges in court.
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As reported by WRGB, the case began on Tuesday, September 23, as police officers responded to a Crestwood Court residence in Albany, New York.
At the time, they were investigating financial crimes, as the Social Security Administration noticed continued benefits despite Franz and Theresia Kraus, Lorenz’s parents, not being in contact with the agency in years, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
However, one day later, the authorities brought excavation equipment to the house. On Wednesday and Thursday, the bodies of Franz, 92, and Theresia Kraus, 83, were recovered, buried in the home’s backyard. They were last seen in 2017.
Then, just hours after the remains were found, Lorenz Kraus contacted WRGB with an intention in mind: to confess.
Confession, Arrest, Plea
In the televised interview, Kraus confessed to suffocating his parents to death and then burying them in their backyard. First, according to him, he killed his father by choking him with his hand. His mother, Theresia, put her head on his dead husband’s chest.
“After a few hours, I finished her,” Kraus said, confessing to using a rope to strangle her to death. A few days after killing his parents, he finally decided to bury them, Kraus said.
Regarding a possible motive, Lorenz Kraus told WRGB that killing his parents was an act of mercy. They were struggling with old age, he said. Theresia was injured while crossing a road, and Franz was unable to drive due to cataract surgery. He added, “I did duty to my parents. My concern for their misery was paramount.”
“My goal is for the American people to recognize that there is 40 million boomers, they are all going to go through the same kind of problems,” Kraus continued. “It affects all of us, and we need to widen up the law so people can deal with these kinds of problems.”
In addition to his confession, WRGB also got what appears to be a manifesto. In it, Lorenz Kraus calls for the removal of President Donald Trump and other government officials in favor of a “Board of Trustees,” to “assure self-government, the law, and quality of life.”
Shortly after his televised confession, Lorenz Kraus was arrested. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of concealment of a human corpse. On Friday, September 26, he pleaded not guilty during his arraignment, despite his public confession. He is being held without bail.