Cathleen Krauseneck murder: Mother, 29, was found dead in bed with an ax lodged in her head as her daughter, 3, slept next door – but it took 40 YEARS before her husband was finally charged with her brutal killing

A new crime documentary reveals the horrific true story of a 29-year-old woman who was brutally hacked to death while her daughter slept in the next room.

Cathleen Krauseneck’s lifeless body was discovered in her bed in her family’s home in Rochester, New York, in 1982.

She was found lying under blood-soaked sheets, the gun still lodged in her head.

But it would be 40 years before police charged her then-husband with murder, although another man confessed to the crime.

Here, FEMAIL laid bare the disturbing realities surrounding the case after an episode of 48 hours explored the Brighton Ax Murder.

The mother-of-one was found lying under blood-soaked sheets with the ax (pictured) still lodged in her head.

But it would be 40 years before police charged her husband, Jim, with murder, even though another man confessed to the crime.

Cathleen and Jim, who grew up in the same shopping center in Mount Clemens, Michigan, met in high school and began dating in college.

They married shortly after graduation and welcomed their daughter Sarah four years later as their relationship seemed to go from strength to strength.

The family of three moved to Lynchburg, Virginia, where Jim taught economics at Lynchburg College.

They finally decided to settle in Brighton – an upmarket suburb of Rochester – in September 1981, but five months later Cathleen was mercilessly killed.

Jim, who had gotten a new job as an economist at Kodak, said he came home from the office to a frightening scene.

He entered the property and went upstairs to find his wife’s corpse in their blood-soaked bed, an ax stuck in her skull.

She was struck with a single blow, with the medical examiner at the time saying she “died instantly” between 4:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.

“This was one of the most horrific crimes we have seen in Rochester,” said prosecutor Sandra Doorley.

Cathleen and Jim, who grew up in the same shopping center in Mount Clemens, Michigan, met in high school and began dating in college.

Detectives arrived to find a scene that at first glance had all the signs of a burglary – including a broken window in the back door and another ax leaning against the exterior wall.

There was also a black trash bag, a tray of silverware and the contents of Cathleen’s purse scattered on the living room floor.

The couple’s three-year-old daughter, who was in the house the entire time, was not injured.

Jim ran to a nearby house “hugging Sarah” and with “a look of terror on his face” before the neighbor frantically called the police.

Detectives arrived to find a scene that at first glance had all the signs of a burglary, including a broken window in the back door and another ax leaning against the exterior wall.

Both axes involved in the crime belonged to the Krausenecks.

There was also a black trash bag, a tray of silverware and the contents of Cathleen’s purse scattered on the living room floor – but police said nothing was taken and quickly decided it was staged.

Jim became a suspect “within 24 hours” as mounting evidence seemed to pile up against him.

Detectives believed the couple was having marriage problems after finding a flyer in the couple’s car offering services such as “marriage counseling and sex therapy.”

Police also went to Jim’s job and discovered that he had obtained his job under false pretenses by claiming to have a doctorate – although he never completed his studies.

The couple’s three-year-old daughter Sarah, who was in the house the entire time, remained unharmed.

Jim, who had gotten a new job as an economist at Kodak, said he came home from the office to a frightening scene.

In 2014, career criminal Edward Laraby – described as a “terrible human being” and a “psychopath” – contacted the FBI claiming he was a serial killer.

He initially cooperated with authorities during questioning, but less than a day after discovering his wife’s body, he traveled to Michigan with his parents and daughter.

The police continued their questioning from their new location where Jim agreed to provide hair and blood samples.

But ten days after Cathleen’s death, he decided to hire a lawyer.

Despite their suspicions, the detectives did not have enough evidence to pursue the case and Jim moved in with Sarah.

Jim, then 71, was convicted of second-degree murder

He married two more times before marrying his current wife, Sharon, who was an old friend, in 1999.

The case went unsolved for more than three decades before detectives decided to reopen the investigation in 2015.

They began by re-testing the evidence in light of new technological advances – but there was still no DNA evidence linking Jim, or anyone else, to the murder.

Detectives also brought in a new expert who concluded that the actual time of death was 3:30 a.m., a few hours before Jim announced he had left the house for work.

In light of this new development, Jim was charged in November 2019 after another man had already “confessed” to Cathleen’s murder.

In 2014, career criminal Edward Laraby – described as a “terrible human being” and a “psychopath” – contacted the FBI claiming he was a serial killer.

He listed the names of his alleged victims, including Cathleen, with whom he was living at the time of his death.

Laraby, who was jailed for 32 years on charges of robbery, rape and attempted murder, had been questioned once by police at the time of the murder, but authorities did not pursue their investigation further.

Detectives said his confession made decades later “did not fit the facts” and was therefore thrown out.

He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison – but died in prison six months later from cancer.

Wife Sharon (center) and daughter Sarah (right), along with Jim’s legal team, are now appealing the verdict in a bid to clear his name after his death.

Authorities moved forward with Jim’s case and he appeared in court in September 2022 with his daughter Sarah by his side throughout.

The jury took only 10 hours to deliberate and reached the verdict that Jim, then 71, was guilty of second-degree murder.

He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison the following month, more than 40 years after Cathleen’s murder.

Jim died in prison six months later of cancer.

His wife Sharon and daughter Sarah continued to support him, describing describing him as a “decent, loving human being” and insisting that “there’s no way Jim would have ever done anything like that”.

The duo, along with Jim’s legal team, are now appealing the verdict in a bid to clear his name.