Krauseneck appeal won’t go forward in ax killing case

MONROE COUNTY, N.Y. — James Krauseneck Jr.’s attorneys wanted to continue to appeal his conviction in the ax murder of his wife — despite his death in prison.

But according to the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, the Fourth Department, Appellate Division of New York State Supreme Court has dismissed the motion.

Because Krauseneck died in May while his appeal was still pending, the conviction will be vacated. That is a longstanding precedent.

Last September, Krauseneck was convicted of killing his wife, Kathy, with an ax in their Brighton home in 1982. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, but he died in May.

Krauseneck long claimed his wife was alive when he left for his job at Eastman Kodak Co. in the morning and that she was killed by an intruder.