Brighton ax murder: What we know about the 1982 homicide and James Krauseneck's arrest

Gary Craig | Democrat and Chronicle

One of the region's most notorious unsolved homicides occurred on Feb. 19, 1982, when Cathleen Krauseneck was killed by an ax blow to the head while she slept.

The crime perplexed police for years, as Brighton police conducted hundreds of interviews and used assistance from the FBI, but failed, until this month, to make an arrest.

Cathleen Krauseneck's husband, James, is now accused of her murder in an indictment handed up this month by a grand jury.

About the crime

Cathleen Krauseneck was 29 when she was killed. Her body was still in bed at the Evans Farm neighborhood where she and her husband and the couple's 3½-year-old daughter, Sara, lived.

James Krauseneck Jr. told police that he found his wife dead when he returned home from his job at Eastman Kodak around 5 p.m. He grabbed up his daughter and ran to a neighbor's home and called police.

There were signs of a burglary — including a broken window — but nothing appeared missing.

For subscribers: BREAKING: Husband charged in horrific Brighton ax murder, 37 years after crime

The evidence

The ax handle was scrubbed clean of fingerprints, and police found no other fingerprints on possible evidence. Oddly, it appeared the entire house had been cleaned of fingerprints.

Three years ago Brighton police sought the assistance of the FBI to try more sophisticated DNA testing on some of the crime-scene evidence. Police have not said what the results were.

The medical examiner's office could only narrow the time of death to late hours of Feb. 18 or earlier hours of Feb. 19.

From 2016: Brighton cops tackle unsolved ax homicide

The daughter

The couple's daughter, Sara, was in the home with the corpse of her mother throughout the day, until her father's return.

She was able to tell police that she'd seen a "bad man" in her parent's bedroom.

As the years passed, her father refused to subject her to more police interviews.

The accused

Police have not identified James Krauseneck as a suspect in the past, but it was clear with the renewed investigation in 2016 that he was the likely target.

In 2016 Brighton police went to Washington, where he lived, to talk to him, but apparently learned little to nothing to help with the investigation.

Krauseneck, 67, who left Rochester with his daughter in the days after the homicide, has always maintained his innocence, and his attorneys affirmed his innocence during his court appearance Friday.

GCRAIG@Gannett.com