A man from the US has been arrested after confessing to murdering his parents in a TV interview.
Lorenz Kraus, 53, was arrested by police after leaving a local TV studio in Albany, New York, on Thursday. He had admitted on camera that he suffocated his parents and buried them in the backyard.
His parents, Franz and Theresia Kraus, have allegedly been dead since August 2017. In a television interview with reporter Greg Floyd of WRGB, he described their deaths as ‘mercy killings’ for parents who were old and becoming more frail.
Kraus described his father as no longer able to drive after cataract surgery and explained how his mother had been injured from falling, although it is unclear if either parent had life-threatening conditions.
“I did my duty to my parents. My concern for their misery was paramount,” he said, justifying his actions.
Kraus’ confession followed the discovery of human remains buried in his back yard. Police had received a tip through the Social Security Administration. Kraus had allegedly been collecting his parents’ social security cheques, despite them not being seen out in public since 2017.
Neighbours allege that Kraus regularly visited their home to collect mail, upkeep the lawn, and clear snow.
When asked about their whereabouts, he told neighbours that they had moved to Germany, NBC reports.
Kraus appeared in court on Friday after his arrest and pleaded not guilty to two charges, each of murder, as well as illicitly concealing a corpse. He was ordered held without bail.
&uuid=(email))