Brighton ax murder hearing testimony discusses investigative measures

In 2016, investigators from the Monroe County District Attorney's Office traveled to Texas to interview Sara Krauseneck Young, the daughter of James and Cathleen Krauseneck.

It was Sara who, when 3½ years old, was alone in the family's Brighton home for much of the day of Feb. 19, 1982, as her mother lay dead in her bed, an ax deeply embedded into her skull.

Sara's father, James Krauseneck Jr., now is accused of murdering his wife in 1982. A pretrial hearing this week in state Supreme Court will determine whether the case can proceed to trial.

In testimony Thursday, Douglas Boccardo, an investigator for the DA's Office, laid out some of the investigative measures after the Brighton police, the DA's office, and the FBI reactivated the case in 2015. The interview of Sara, which lasted about 90 minutes, was one of those steps.

The DA's Office had coordinated the timing with Brighton investigators who traveled to James Krauseneck's home in the state of Washington to interview him also. The hope was that the father or daughter could provide vital information — or even a confession from James — that could help solve the long-enduring mystery of who killed Cathleen "Cathy" Krauseneck.

It did not happen. Sara is in court this week, supportive of her father, and James Krauseneck Jr. maintains his innocence in the homicide.

Retired Brighton Police Investigator Mark Liberatore, who was the lead investigator when the investigation picked up steam in 2015, testified Thursday that the interviews of Krauseneck and his daughter were conducted nearly simultaneously so the two would not discuss what they were asked or said.

Both were cooperative, Liberatore said. Defense lawyers have contended that investigators fed Sara false information, trying to convince her of her father's guilt.

FBI subjected evidence to new tests

Also in court are relatives of Cathleen Krauseneck, including her 94-year-old father who traveled from Michigan. They think Krauseneck is the killer.

The hearing before state Supreme Court Justice Charles Schiano Jr. is focused on the 37-plus years that passed from the time of the homicide until Krauseneck's November 2019 indictment.

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Krauseneck's defense contends that he has been unfairly prejudiced by what they portray as an often-dormant investigation that was too focused on Krauseneck Jwhen active.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, have sought to show the investigative strides throughout the years as evidence that the case had not been forgotten by the Brighton police.

In 2015 the Brighton police approached the FBI about a re-evaluation of the evidence as part of a "cold case" joint operation; the FBI then took evidence from the crime scene and subjected it to sophisticated forensics testing.

There have been no claims of a "smoking gun" results from the forensics.

The DNA and fingerprints of James Krauseneck Jr. would, of course, be present in the Brighton home. Prosecutors have noted that the testing did not provide evidence of any other possible suspects.

Investigators who testified Thursday acknowledged that the forensics testing generated no leads or proof of Krauseneck's guilt.

The hearing is expected to end Friday.

Contact Gary Craig at gcraig@gannett.com or at 585-258-2479. Follow him on Twitter at gcraig1. 

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Brighton ax murder hearing focuses on recent search for new evidence