ALBANY, N.Y. (WRGB) — A grand jury has returned an indictment against Lorenz Kraus, the man who confessed on camera to CBS6 that he killed his parents in 2017.
Jurors handed up the indictment on Wednesday after hearing testimony related to the case, which means the case will now move out of city court into county court.
In a brief informal proceeding Wednesday afternoon, Albany City Court Judge John Reilly met with only the attorneys involved in the case. He informed the court that the case is being transferred to Albany County Court. Kraus was not present in the courtroom.
On Friday, Kraus, 53, was arraigned in city court, where he pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse.
He is now expected to be arraigned on the grand jury indictment in Albany County Court in the coming days.
He was arrested last week after telling CBS6 during an on-camera interview that he suffocated his parents to “end their suffering.”
He was taken into custody outside the CBS6 station shortly after the interview ended.
The confession came just mere hours after investigators unearthed a second body in the backyard of his parents’ home on Crestwood Court in Albany. The first body was discovered the night before.
Kraus confessed that he buried his parents Franz and Theresia Kraus, in the backyard three days after killing them.
Neighbors told CBS6 that they haven’t seen or heard from the elderly couple in several years, not knowing what happened to them– some feeling regret for never reporting them missing.
Legal experts say Kraus’ confession, which has since gone viral and been picked up by national outlets, could become a centerpiece of the case — but they expect the defense will file a motion to suppress it.
“If that confession is suppressed, you need evidence that ties him to the crime,” attorney Greg Rinckey told CBS6. “And you also have to prove that he intentionally killed them because the government has to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
They add the medical examiner’s findings — particularly the official cause of death — will be crucial in determining whether Kraus’ statements align with the forensic evidence.
A spokesperson for the Albany County District Attorney’s office declined to comment on the status of the medical examiner’s findings.
