Topline: Lorenz Kraus was arrested for two counts of murder after telling WRGB in Albany, New York, that he killed his parents and buried them in the back yard.
Published: October 1, 2025 12:00 pm ET
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Lorenz Kraus, during television interview and being arrested afterwards (via CBS6 WRGB)
ALBANY, NY — A 53-year-old New York man faces two counts of murder and two charges of illicitly concealing a corpse after he told a local television news channel he killed his elderly parents and buried their remains in the back yard.
Lorenz Kraus confessed to the killings in a television interview with WRGB in Albany. This confession came after police found two sets of human remains at his family’s home, and about eight years after his parents were last seen.
Investigators started digging in the Kraus family’s back yard on September 24 and found one set of human remains. They found a second set the following day. Police Chief Brendan Cox said he felt sure the remains belonged to Franz and Theresia Kraus, who were thought to be 92 and 83 years old, according to the The Guardian
Police arrested Kraus outside WRGB’s studios immediately following the televised conversation.
During the interview, Kraus told anchor Greg Floyd, “I buried them in their property.” When Floyd asked to confirm the location, Kraus said, “Yes.”
The interview took place after Kraus contacted several news outlets. He claimed he killed his parents as an act of mercy. “My concern for their misery was paramount,” Kraus said.
He explained that his mother had been injured crossing a street and his father could not drive after cataract surgery. “They knew they were going downhill,” Kraus said. “I did my duty to my parents.”
Kraus also said communities need to “widen up the law so that people can deal with these kind of problems.”
Kraus tried to use his constitutional right against self-incrimination during the interview. Despite this, when Floyd asked, “You suffocated them? You suffocated your parents?” Kraus said, “Yeah, basically.”
Kraus later explained he used his hands to choke his father to death and a rope to choke his mother. “My father, after he died – my mother put her head on his chest, and after a few hours, I finished her,” he said, adding that he buried the bodies after several days.
Kraus appeared in court on September 26 and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The court ordered him held without bail.
District Attorney Lee Kindlon told journalists that Kraus’s confession to WRGB helps prosecutors. However, he stressed that physical evidence and witness testimony will also be necessary.
Local assistant public defender Rebekah Sokol, who represented Kraus, raised “very serious concerns” about the WRGB interview. Sokol stated that to her, “it looked like a police interrogation.”
WRGB’s station manager, Stone Grissom, told the Associated Press he personally searched Kraus to ensure he was unarmed when he arrived for the interview. Grissom also said a plainclothes police officer was in the front lobby of the station, where the interview happened.
Kraus first came under authorities’ attention in connection with alleged financial crimes, as reported by the Times Union newspaper. Acting on a tip fielded in May, the Social Security Administration contacted police to check on Kraus’s parents. Officers did not see any sign of them, though they were still collecting benefits.
A relative had called police as early as February 2020 to check on the parents, according to the New York Post. A neighbor reportedly told officers at the time that the Krauses had moved to Germany.
Prior to his arrest, Kraus was known for an “obscure” presidential campaign and supporting conspiracy theories, according to The Times Union. Kraus graduated as valedictorian from Siena University in 1994 with a political science degree, and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2009.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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New York Man Arrested After On-Air Murder Confession
Lorenz Kraus was arrested for two counts of murder after telling WRGB in Albany, New York, that he killed his parents and buried them in the back yard.
By Kate Byrd
Published: October 1, 2025 12:00 pm ET
Lorenz Kraus, during television interview and being arrested afterwards (via CBS6 WRGB)
ALBANY, NY — A 53-year-old New York man faces two counts of murder and two charges of illicitly concealing a corpse after he told a local television news channel he killed his elderly parents and buried their remains in the back yard.
Lorenz Kraus confessed to the killings in a television interview with WRGB in Albany. This confession came after police found two sets of human remains at his family’s home, and about eight years after his parents were last seen.
Investigators started digging in the Kraus family’s back yard on September 24 and found one set of human remains. They found a second set the following day. Police Chief Brendan Cox said he felt sure the remains belonged to Franz and Theresia Kraus, who were thought to be 92 and 83 years old, according to the The Guardian
Police arrested Kraus outside WRGB’s studios immediately following the televised conversation.
During the interview, Kraus told anchor Greg Floyd, “I buried them in their property.” When Floyd asked to confirm the location, Kraus said, “Yes.”
The interview took place after Kraus contacted several news outlets. He claimed he killed his parents as an act of mercy. “My concern for their misery was paramount,” Kraus said.
He explained that his mother had been injured crossing a street and his father could not drive after cataract surgery. “They knew they were going downhill,” Kraus said. “I did my duty to my parents.”
Kraus also said communities need to “widen up the law so that people can deal with these kind of problems.”
Kraus tried to use his constitutional right against self-incrimination during the interview. Despite this, when Floyd asked, “You suffocated them? You suffocated your parents?” Kraus said, “Yeah, basically.”
Kraus later explained he used his hands to choke his father to death and a rope to choke his mother. “My father, after he died – my mother put her head on his chest, and after a few hours, I finished her,” he said, adding that he buried the bodies after several days.
Kraus appeared in court on September 26 and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The court ordered him held without bail.
District Attorney Lee Kindlon told journalists that Kraus’s confession to WRGB helps prosecutors. However, he stressed that physical evidence and witness testimony will also be necessary.
Local assistant public defender Rebekah Sokol, who represented Kraus, raised “very serious concerns” about the WRGB interview. Sokol stated that to her, “it looked like a police interrogation.”
WRGB’s station manager, Stone Grissom, told the Associated Press he personally searched Kraus to ensure he was unarmed when he arrived for the interview. Grissom also said a plainclothes police officer was in the front lobby of the station, where the interview happened.
Kraus first came under authorities’ attention in connection with alleged financial crimes, as reported by the Times Union newspaper. Acting on a tip fielded in May, the Social Security Administration contacted police to check on Kraus’s parents. Officers did not see any sign of them, though they were still collecting benefits.
A relative had called police as early as February 2020 to check on the parents, according to the New York Post. A neighbor reportedly told officers at the time that the Krauses had moved to Germany.
Prior to his arrest, Kraus was known for an “obscure” presidential campaign and supporting conspiracy theories, according to The Times Union. Kraus graduated as valedictorian from Siena University in 1994 with a political science degree, and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2009.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Murder Confession
Lorenz Kraus was arrested for two counts of murder after telling WRGB in Albany, New York, that he killed his parents and buried them in the back yard.
By Kate Byrd
Published: October 1, 2025 12:00 pm ET
Lorenz Kraus, during television interview and being arrested afterwards (via CBS6 WRGB)
ALBANY, NY — A 53-year-old New York man faces two counts of murder and two charges of illicitly concealing a corpse after he told a local television news channel he killed his elderly parents and buried their remains in the back yard.
Lorenz Kraus confessed to the killings in a television interview with WRGB in Albany. This confession came after police found two sets of human remains at his family’s home, and about eight years after his parents were last seen.
Investigators started digging in the Kraus family’s back yard on September 24 and found one set of human remains. They found a second set the following day. Police Chief Brendan Cox said he felt sure the remains belonged to Franz and Theresia Kraus, who were thought to be 92 and 83 years old, according to the The Guardian
Police arrested Kraus outside WRGB’s studios immediately following the televised conversation.
During the interview, Kraus told anchor Greg Floyd, “I buried them in their property.” When Floyd asked to confirm the location, Kraus said, “Yes.”
The interview took place after Kraus contacted several news outlets. He claimed he killed his parents as an act of mercy. “My concern for their misery was paramount,” Kraus said.
He explained that his mother had been injured crossing a street and his father could not drive after cataract surgery. “They knew they were going downhill,” Kraus said. “I did my duty to my parents.”
Kraus also said communities need to “widen up the law so that people can deal with these kind of problems.”
Kraus tried to use his constitutional right against self-incrimination during the interview. Despite this, when Floyd asked, “You suffocated them? You suffocated your parents?” Kraus said, “Yeah, basically.”
Kraus later explained he used his hands to choke his father to death and a rope to choke his mother. “My father, after he died – my mother put her head on his chest, and after a few hours, I finished her,” he said, adding that he buried the bodies after several days.
Kraus appeared in court on September 26 and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The court ordered him held without bail.
District Attorney Lee Kindlon told journalists that Kraus’s confession to WRGB helps prosecutors. However, he stressed that physical evidence and witness testimony will also be necessary.
Local assistant public defender Rebekah Sokol, who represented Kraus, raised “very serious concerns” about the WRGB interview. Sokol stated that to her, “it looked like a police interrogation.”
WRGB’s station manager, Stone Grissom, told the Associated Press he personally searched Kraus to ensure he was unarmed when he arrived for the interview. Grissom also said a plainclothes police officer was in the front lobby of the station, where the interview happened.
Kraus first came under authorities’ attention in connection with alleged financial crimes, as reported by the Times Union newspaper. Acting on a tip fielded in May, the Social Security Administration contacted police to check on Kraus’s parents. Officers did not see any sign of them, though they were still collecting benefits.
A relative had called police as early as February 2020 to check on the parents, according to the New York Post. A neighbor reportedly told officers at the time that the Krauses had moved to Germany.
Prior to his arrest, Kraus was known for an “obscure” presidential campaign and supporting conspiracy theories, according to The Times Union. Kraus graduated as valedictorian from Siena University in 1994 with a political science degree, and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2009.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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