Was known sexual predator ignored as suspect in Brighton ax murder?
The second morning of a pretrial hearing into the murder accusation against James Krauseneck Jr. often returned to a man that defense lawyers claim was ignored as a suspect: the now-deceased sexual predator Edward Laraby. Defense attorneys have claimed since shortly after Krauseneck was indicted in late 2019, accused of killing his wife Kathleen with an ax blow to her head in 1982, that Brighton police spent so much time zeroed in on Krauseneck that they ignored other possibilities. Ed Laraby, who died in prison in 2014, may well have been Cathleen's murderer, defense attorneys say. Prosecutors maintain that Laraby, in a bid to be treated for illness and buried outside prison walls, went on a confession bender in his final months. He hoped to parlay false admissions to killings into successful demands for his treatment, prosecutors say. Evidence of confession  Retired police Investigator Gary Ciulla testified Wednesday about how he determined a confession Laraby gave to State Police about the Krauseneck homicide was likely bogus. Laraby wrongly claimed Krauseneck was on her knees for the fatal ax blow  she was in her bed  and was naked when she was in fact clothed. He also said the killing occurred in the afternoon; it was in the early morning hours. Under questioning by Easton, Ciulla agreed that there were points on which Laraby was correct about the homicide, such as the fact that the ax came from the garage at the family's Del Rio Drive home in Brighton. And, Ciulla acknowledged, police did think that Laraby's confession to the 1991 murder of Greece music teacher Stephanie Kupchynsky was honest. He was indicted for her murder, but died before trial. Laraby was a sexual sadist who served prison time for multiple sexual assaults. Cathleen Krauseneck was not sexually assaulted, but defense lawyers say Laraby was then required by probation officials to use medication that left him temporarily "chemically castrated." Homicide case:Brighton ax murder, subject of novel, to be adapted as Netflix film  Public safety:Woman injured in double shooting on Dr. Samuel McCree Way dies  The current four-day hearing centers on the nearly 38 years that passed between the killing and the arrest of James Krauseneck Jr. on a murder charge. Prosecutors must show that the investigation did not lie dormant for much of the time, and that there were active investigative steps taken along the way. Krauseneck's defense, meanwhile, is seeking to demonstrate that Krauseneck's constitutional guarantee to a "speedy" trial has been breached by an investigation that excluded possible suspects and was practically inactive for decades. Retired Monroe County District Attorney Howard Relin is expected to testify remotely Wednesday afternoon. Contact Gary Craig at gcraig@gannett.com or at 585-258-2479. Follow him on Twitter at gcraig1.