Man accused of strangling his parents to death for 'blood money' may have dug his own grave in bone-chilling TV confession



A New York man made a bone-chilling on-air television confession to killing his parents and burying them in their backyard.

Last month, 53-year-old Lorenz Kraus reportedly emailed a two-page statement to news outlets regarding a shocking admission.

'After he died, my mother put her head on his chest — and she was there for a few hours, then I finished her.'

Stone Grissom, WRGB-TV's news director, told the Times-Union that he promised Kraus to publish his statement on WRGB's news site if he came to the station for an interview.

"I called him to verify who he was," Grissom said. "On the phone, he told me he buried his parents in his yard. When I asked if he killed them, he said, 'I plead the Fifth.'"

Kraus reportedly arrived at the news station within an hour.

Grissom admitted there were major concerns of "inviting someone suspected of a double murder into our station."

Grissom noted that he personally frisked Kraus upon his arrival and that a plainclothes police officer was in the news station's secured front lobby.

Greg Floyd — a broadcaster since 1979 — had only 10 minutes to prepare for the eyebrow-raising interview.

During the jarring 31-minute sit-down, Kraus described the deaths of his aging parents as mercy killings to stop their suffering from multiple maladies.

Floyd asked Kraus, "So did you kill your parents as a mercy killing to put them out of their misery?"

Kraus avoided the question.

'What was I supposed to do with this money?'

After Floyd pressed Kraus about what he did to his parents, Kraus responded, "I buried them in their property."

Kraus said his parents died around August 2017.

Floyd asked Kraus if his parents asked him to take their lives, and Kraus responded, "Implicitly, but not explicitly."

Kraus added during the interview, "I did my duty to my parents. My concern for their misery was paramount."

Kraus did not mention if his parents had terminal illnesses.

In the stunning on-camera confession, Floyd pushed Kraus on whether he murdered his parents — 92-year-old Franz Kraus and 83-year-old Theresia Kraus.

Floyd — a six-time Emmy award-winning broadcaster — asked Kraus, "They knew that this was it for them, that they were perishing at your hand?"

Kraus replied, "Yes. And it was so quick."

Kraus said he was "shocked" at how his father "died surprisingly quickly."

Kraus confessed he strangled his parents to death. He admitted that he killed his father first by strangling him with his hands.

"After he died, my mother put her head on his chest — and she was there for a few hours, then I finished her," Kraus stated.

Kraus confessed that he killed his mother by strangling her with a rope.

When asked what was going through his head as he killed his parents, Kraus said, "Not thoughts — action, make sure it's done, not fool around, not make a mistake. But you know, the police would say what an incompetent idiot I am."

Kraus said it took him two or three days to decide to bury his parents in the backyard of their property in Albany.

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Kraus also is accused of stealing his parents' Social Security payments after they died.

Floyd asked Kraus if he knew there were financial benefits to killing his parents.

Kraus claimed the "government is pissed because I took the Social Security money and gave it to people in the Philippines."

Kraus said his parents' murders were "not a kill-for-money case."

Floyd fired back, "Some would call that blood money."

Kraus responded, "What was I supposed to do with this money?"

Video posted online by WRGB shows police arresting Kraus in the station's parking lot on Sept. 25, just moments after he left the television studio.

Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon on Monday announced that Kraus has been charged with murder in the first degree, two counts of murder in the second degree, two counts of concealment of a human corpse, grand larceny in the second degree, and identity theft in the first degree.

'Cadaver dogs picked up on a scent, and a subsequent excavation in the backyard turned up the couple’s bodies.'

A public defender entered a not guilty plea during a Monday court appearance.

Kraus is being detained without bail at the Albany County Correctional Facility.

Floyd interviewed Kraus a second time from jail. However, Kraus' public defender allegedly shut down the interview.

According to Floyd, after six or seven questions, the public defender said, "That's it, you're walking out of here right now."

The Associated Press reported that Albany County Assistant Public Defender Rebekah Sokol — who represented Kraus at a hearing last Friday — said she would be investigating how the interview came about because "if the media was essentially an agent of police in this matter, that could raise questions about whether (Kraus') comments in the interview would be legally admissible at trial."

Kraus' parents were never reported missing, and soon "federal agents started investigating suspicious Social Security payments in their names," WJLA-TV reported.

The indictment accused Kraus of assuming the identity of his father and stealing funds from the family’s estate "in excess of $50,000" sometime between Aug. 30, 2017, and May 27, 2025.

On Sept. 23, 2025, "Cadaver dogs picked up on a scent, and a subsequent excavation in the backyard turned up the couple’s bodies," Albany authorities stated.

Kraus is scheduled to return to court Oct. 28, WRGB reported.

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Israeli OnlyFans model allegedly robbed older men in Los Angeles — she says she's the victim of a conspiracy theory



The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has issued a bulletin with a request from the public for alleged victims of an Israeli OnlyFans model to come forward.

The bulletin said Adva Lavie is suspected to be involved in a "series of residential burglaries" of the homes of older men in Los Angeles County.

'I think when you probably hang out with someone really powerful and someone really connected, if you piss them off, it's problematic because they can really f**k you over.'

She allegedly posed as a girlfriend or companion on social media apps and platforms, according to the bulletin posted on Facebook.

"They’re invited into the home, and then this person ends up burglarizing their home by stealing their personal belongings, and so that would kind of be the scenario we're looking at," Captain Dustin Carr said to KTTV-TV.

The sheriff's department said Lavie had been arrested previously for a similar crime in a different jurisdiction but had been released from custody.

"We want to make sure that all victims are identified, they come forward and help prosecute this case," Carr added. "We have some information that there may be other victims as well."

Police said there may be as many as 10 victims in the alleged scheme.

However, when Lavie spoke to the Daily Mail via telephone about the allegations, she said she was the victim of a conspiracy before she hung up the phone.

"I think when you probably hang out with someone really powerful and someone really connected, if you piss them off, it's problematic because they can really f**k you over," she said.

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Others working in the adult entertainment industry accused her of robbing them as well.

"She decided to pretty much rob basically every person in that group, essentially anything marked with a designer label," said Cody Steele, who accused her of stealing items from his Airbnb.

Lavie was described as a female adult with a height of 5'7", a weight of 104 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She is known to drive a black Porsche SUV and a white Mercedes-Benz sedan.

Police said she also goes by the name Mia Ventura, Shoshana, or Shana.

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Female ex-teacher, cheerleading coach indicted, accused of sexual misconduct with student



A female ex-teacher and cheerleading coach in Alabama has been indicted after allegedly having sex with a student, a local report states.

Citing court documents, 1819 News reported that police arrested 32-year-old Makaela Caldwell Hodgins of Woodland on a $30,000 bond.

Students under 19 cannot consent to sexual relations with school employees in Alabama.

Hodgins pleaded not guilty during an initial court appearance, 1819 News reported.

Mike Segrest — district attorney of Alabama's 5th Judicial Circuit — told Blaze News the grand jury indictment occurred Sept. 12, Hodgins turned herself in Sept. 15, and her next court date is Oct. 28 in Randolph County. Segrest told Blaze News he believes Hodgins posted bond. She is not listed in the Randolph County Jail roster.

The former teacher is accused of sexually abusing a male student under the age of 19, the outlet reported, citing charging documents, adding that the alleged victim's age was not disclosed. Segrest told Blaze News he couldn't disclose the juvenile student's age but noted that there would have been additional charges against her if the student was younger than 16.

According to Alabama state law, school employees are prohibited from engaging in sex acts with students under the age of 19, and students under 19 cannot consent to sexual relations with school employees in Alabama.

In Alabama, the charge of a school employee engaging in a sex act with a student who is under the age of 19 years is a Class B felony, and it carries a minimum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.

RELATED: Ex-middle school teacher — guilty of 21 counts of sex crimes against daughter's underage babysitter — learns her fate

Hodgins reportedly had been a teacher at Randolph County High School in Wedowee. However, she's no longer employed with the Randolph County School System, a school official stated.

"Ms. Hodgins began working for Randolph County School System on August 2, 2021. Her last day in the classroom was November 15, 2024. We will cooperate with local authorities as requested," Randolph County Schools Superintendent John Jacobs told the New York Post.

However, Segrest told Blaze News her departure from the school was unrelated to the allegations against her.

In March 2022, Randolph County High School announced on its official Facebook page that Hodgins was named cheerleading coach.

"Mrs. Hodgins grew up here in Randolph County and was a cheerleader for six years at Woodland. She served as captain her senior year. She is an alumna of the University of West Alabama, where she cheered on a scholarship from 2011-2013," the announcement reads. "She will graduate with her Master's of Education from UWA in May."

The Facebook post adds that "she has been involved in many aspects of coaching cheer for the past ten years through judging try-outs, conducting cheer camps, and choreographing routines."

The announcement also says Hodgins is "married to her college sweetheart" and has two children.

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Homeless man with violent criminal past allegedly kidnapped student after injecting him with unknown substance



A homeless man was arrested outside of a high school in Texas after he allegedly injected a student with an unknown substance and tried to kidnap the boy, according to prosecutors.

The harrowing incident began when staff members from Aldine High School noticed a student "stumbling and walking off-balance" at a shopping center near the campus on Oct. 1, according to a statement from the school district.

'God only knows what would have happened to him if he would have actually followed through and had been able to actually kidnap him as well.'

The staff called police, who immediately detained a male who was acting suspiciously and approaching the student. One staff member reportedly recorded video of the man pulling the student away.

The student was found to be nonresponsive and was treated by EMS to help him regain consciousness. When he did so, the student told police that the man had injected him with an unknown substance.

The man was identified as Ted Fleming and charged with kidnapping, failing to register as a sex offender, and entering school grounds without notice. Fleming has an extensive criminal history with at least 38 prior arrests, including deadly conduct, various counts of terrorist threats, numerous counts of indecent exposure, evading, and trespassing.

A Crime Stoppers victim's advocate speculated to WTHR-TV that the student was likely rescued from an even more horrible fate.

"This is the first time I've seen or heard of a case where somebody was actually injected," Andy Kahan said.

"God only knows what would have happened to him if he would have actually followed through and had been able to actually kidnap him as well," he added.

A booking photo shows Fleming smiling after his arrest.

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"The Aldine ISD Police will increase patrols around the Aldine High School area," the district said. "The safety and well-being of our students and staff will always be our top priority."

The prosecutor's office asked for bail to be set at $250,000 after citing Fleming's criminal history, but the judge settled on $150,000 after the suspect's public defender asked for a $17,000 bail.

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White House gets results after public outrage over release of heinous child murderer from prison



A child murderer who was scheduled to be released from prison after only serving a portion of his sentence is facing an additional charge after public outrage.

Ronald Exantus snuck into a home in Versailles, Kentucky, on Dec. 7, 2015, and stabbed 6-year-old Logan Tipton in the head, killing him. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity but was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2018 for assaulting the boy's family members.

'I told the court — if I ever cross paths with him, I will kill the man.'

His case inspired outrage across the country after Exantus was scheduled to be released after serving only seven years of his sentence for good behavior. The Kentucky Justice Cabinet said in a statement that the parole board recommended Exantus finish out the rest of his term but that he had fulfilled the requirements to be released on mandatory re-entry supervision based on Kentucky state law.

"He will stay on [mandatory re-entry supervision] under probation and parole supervision until the expiration of his sentence. The Department of Corrections does not have discretion in determining release dates, which are governed by state law," a statement from the cabinet reads.

The public outrage caught the attention of the White House, which released a statement on Saturday.

"I can confirm the White House is looking into this. It's wholly unacceptable for a child killer to walk free after just several years in prison," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote.

Five days later, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office was taking action to keep Exantus behind bars.

"My office has been working with State Attorney Gladson's office in Marion County since we were alerted that this dangerous individual who murdered a child by repeatedly stabbing him in the head was in Florida," he wrote in a post on social media.

"This afternoon, the Marion County Sheriff's Office and 5th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office obtained a warrant for the arrest of Ronald Exantus for failure to register as a convicted felon," he added. "State officials are now working to send him back to Kentucky. I want to thank Sheriff Woods and State Attorney Gladson for keeping our communities safe from this dangerous felon."

RELATED: Man shot and killed couple out of jealousy and then did something evil to their 1-year-old child, police say

The case also received national attention after the father of the victim said that he would kill Exantus on the spot if he ran into him in public.

"I've had my talks with God 'cause I’m not afraid to tell you all, I told the court — if I ever cross paths with him, I will kill the man," Dean Tipton told WLKY-TV. "I will kill him where he stands."

If Uthmeier is successful in prosecuting Exantus, Tipton won't need to put his own freedom at risk to avenge this son.

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Thug punches, kicks, stomps man to death in subway station because he didn't like the way victim looked at him, officials say



New York City police said a 25-year-old male admitted to beating a man to death inside a Brooklyn subway station, ABC News reported.

Police said officers arrived at the Jay Street station just after 3 p.m. Tuesday after getting a call about an "aided male," the news network said.

Police added that suspect had a katana sword — with a blade of more than 20 inches in length — resting in his lap at the time of the arrest, WABC reported.

Upon arrival, officers "observed an unidentified male, unconscious and unresponsive, with trauma about the body," police added to ABC News.

Paramedics transported the victim to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in "critical condition"; he later was "pronounced deceased," police told the news network.

The suspect punched, kicked, and stomped 64-year-old Nicola Tanzi — and allegedly admitted to detectives that he did it because he didn't like the way the victim looked at him, police told WABC-TV, which added that Tanzi suffered a fractured skull.

Authorities named the suspect as 25-year-old David Mazariegos late Wednesday afternoon, WABC reported, adding that he's been charged with murder, robbery, and grand larceny.

Authorities added that Mazariegos has 17 prior arrests, including for assault earlier this year, petit larceny, and graffiti, WABC said.

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WABC said Mazariegos was arrested around 10 p.m. Tuesday after NYPD officers assigned to the subway in Times Square saw him sitting on the sidewalk.

Police added that suspect had a katana sword — with a blade of more than 20 inches in length — resting in his lap at the time of the arrest, WABC reported.

What's more, police told WABC that Mazariegos also was in possession of four of the victim's credit cards — including one the suspect allegedly used to make a Target purchase Tuesday night.

RELATED: 4 females — ages 13 to 15 — arrested after they beat, tried to rob 71-year-old woman while she was on her way to church: Cops

Detectives also are looking into similarities between Tuesday's murder and the death of a worker who confronted a shoplifter at a Morton Williams in Hell's Kitchen last month, WABC said.

More on what led to the deadly attack, according to WABC:

Police say the suspect was pulling on the exit gate at the Jay Street-MetroTech station, attempting to gain entry around 3 p.m. Tuesday when Tanzi approached.

The two exchanged words, and the suspect sucker punched the 64-year-old, knocking him to the ground.

According to investigators, video from MTA security cameras recorded the suspect then punching, kicking, and stomping the victim's head 15 times while he was on the ground.

Police say the suspect was then seen boarding a Bronx-bound No. 2 train.

Candles burned at the scene of the crime Wednesday in memory of Tanzi, WABC said, adding that others said he was a security guard and a nice guy.

— (@)

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch credited the department's domain awareness system, which sent photos of the suspect to officers' phones, after which the suspect was arrested, WABC reported.

"Right after this horrific attack, the entire NYPD received an emergency alert to their phones with photos of the suspect and a physical description," Tisch said on X. "Eagle-eyed cops working near Times Square recognized this perp from the photos they had just received and immediately brought this dangerous criminal into custody."

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Female calls 911 at night, says she killed cop, will kill another — then points gun at officers, police say. It ends badly.



Police in Alsip, Illinois — a village about 30 minutes south of Chicago — said officers were dispatched to the area of 124th Street and South Cicero Avenue around 10 p.m. Monday in response to a 911 call from a female saying she was being chased by an active shooter.

While officers were responding, the female made several more 911 calls saying she had a loaded gun, that she had killed a cop, and that she would kill another officer, police said.

'Horrible situation. Sounds like a mental health crisis gone bad.'

The female caller’s phone was geographically tracked to the Burr Oak Cemetery, police said, adding that officers searched the cemetery and found the female in the west end of the cemetery.

As officers approached, the female fled, scaled a fence, and crossed Cicero Avenue, police said, adding that pursuing officers issued multiple verbal commands for her to stop.

However, she turned and pointed a firearm at officers, police said.

RELATED: Woman shot by Virginia police was holding fake gun

Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Faced with an imminent threat, police said one of the responding officers shot the female.

Officers immediately began lifesaving measures on her, police said, adding that the Alsip Fire Department arrived on the scene and continued lifesaving measures. The female was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

A replica Colt firearm was immediately recovered at the scene, police said.

The incident appears isolated, police said, adding that there is no threat to the public.

The Alsip Police Department said it asked the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Unit to investigate the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

Police said those with information about this incident are asked to contact either the Alsip Police Department at 708-385-6902 or the Illinois State Police.

The woman’s identity has not been shared at this time, WFLD-TV reported.

Hundreds of comments were left on the police department's Facebook post about the incident. Most commenters appeared supportive of police in a no-win situation, but a few others seem skeptical of things.

  • "Horrible situation. Sounds like a mental health crisis gone bad. Awful outcome for this woman’s family and the first responders involved," one commenter wrote. "I wish people knew the emotional burden an officer takes on in this type of situation."
  • "Prayer[s] for all officers/fire/dispatch involved in this call," another user said, adding that a "very difficult decision was made."
  • "Is there any body camera footage that anybody actually see[s] her pull a gun on the police officer?" another commenter wondered. "I’m just saying people lie to protect themselves."
  • "Might be a cover-up of something bigger that happened," another user stated.

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The Parents Of Charlie Kirk’s Assassin Faced Darkness But Chose Justice

What this family confronted deserves to be noticed, praised, and modeled. Our country was given clarity in real time.

2 teen girls died subway surfing — and 1 mother says she found out from TV news



Two girls — a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old — were found dead after officials said they tried to subway surf the J train in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

Subway surfing is a very dangerous game where young people, mostly boys, climb onto the top of subway trains in order to ride on top for thrills and social media popularity.

'We are struggling to process this immense grief, and we are turning to our community for help to give Zemfira the respectful and loving farewell she deserves.'

Sadly, the mother of Zemfira Mukhtarov, one of the girls killed, told WABC-TV that she found out her daughter had been killed when she saw a news report and noticed her daughter's skateboard in the report.

"I was like, 'That's her skateboard, and that's her Coach bag. That's her,'" Mukhtarov's sister said.

The bodies of the two girls were found at about 3 a.m. near the Marcy Avenue subway station. They were unconscious and unresponsive. They were declared dead at the scene soon afterward.

The family said in a GoFundMe donation page that their daughter was just two weeks away from her 13th birthday.

"No parent should ever have to face the pain of losing a child, and no child should lose their life in such a tragic way," reads a statement on the GoFundMe page. "We are struggling to process this immense grief, and we are turning to our community for help to give Zemfira the respectful and loving farewell she deserves."

Video obtained by the New York Post shows Mukhtarov standing precariously on a narrow beam above a subway racing below her.

RELATED: Severed human leg found on subway in the Bronx, NYPD says

Her mother said she returned home from work that evening to find that her daughter had snuck out, and her husband and other daughter were still sleeping.

The family of Mukhtarov raised over $24K for her funeral costs. They are originally from Ukraine.

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Feds make arrest in connection with devastating Palisades Fire in Los Angeles



The federal government on Wednesday announced the arrest of a 29-year-old male in connection with the origin of the devastating Palisades Fire in Los Angeles.

Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced on X the arrest of Jonathan Rinderknecht "on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January."

'True disaster.'

Essayli said the criminal complaint alleges that Rinderknecht "started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year's Day — a blaze that eventually turned into one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history, causing death and widespread destruction."

RELATED: LA approves only handful of building permits 75 days after fire devastation

Jonathan Rinderknecht. Image source: Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli on X

Fire crews extinguished the initial fire, but it continued to smolder underground before reigniting during high winds, Essayli said at a news conference, according to the Associated Press.

The acting U.S. attorney noted that among the evidence collected from Rinderknecht's digital devices "was an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city."

RELATED: Woke, tearful Jimmy Kimmel rips Trump as 'our alleged future president,' blasts 'his gaggle of scumbags' over LA fire remarks

Image source: Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli on X

Rinderknecht fled the scene of the original fire but returned to the same trail to watch it burn, Essayli said, according to the AP: “He left as soon as he saw the fire trucks were headed to the location. He turned around and went back up there. And he took some video ... and watched them fight the fire."

What's more, the outlet — citing the criminal complaint — said Rinderknecht not only made several 911 calls to report the fire but also during a Jan. 24 interview told investigators where the fire began, which was "information not yet public and that he would not have known if he hadn't witnessed it."

The outlet said the fire erupted Jan. 7, killed 12 people, and destroyed more than 6,000 homes and buildings in the wealthy Pacific Palisades coastal neighborhood of Los Angeles.

RELATED: LA Times owner regrets his paper's endorsement of Karen Bass: 'That's a mistake'

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

Rinderknecht's initial appearance was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Orlando, Essayli also noted.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the "great work by @USAttyEssayli and our federal agents to make this crucial arrest." Bondi added that the Department of Justice "will deliver justice for the Palisades Fire and keep Californians safe — even if California leadership won't."

Donald Trump — who was president-elect at the time the fire erupted — blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom, calling the Democrat's handling of the fires a "true disaster" while citing lack of proper infrastructure and leadership.

Democrat Mayor Karen Bass also was criticized, given she was in Africa attending a presidential inauguration in Ghana at the time the fire was spreading. In fact, Bass reportedly was at one point living it up at a cocktail party in Ghana while the fire burned. The Los Angeles Times said Bass was hobnobbing and posing for photos at a Jan. 7 embassy shindig.

In February, Bass fired the chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, who had blamed officials' incompetence for a disastrous response to the wildfires.

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