By Michele Evans / NYweeklyRecord.com / Date: 10/4/2026
Category: Criminal Courts / Evidence / New York State / Public Safety
NEW YORK CITY, NY –
A televised interview in which Lorenz Kraus said he killed his parents may be used at his murder trial, but statements he made to police after invoking his right to remain silent must be suppressed, a New York judge has ruled.
The split decision draws a line between independent reporting and police interrogation. State Supreme Court Justice William T. Little found that a State Police investigator’s presence during the WRGB-CBS6 interview was limited to security and did not transform the journalist’s questioning into government action.
Kraus has pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and additional felonies connected to the deaths of Franz and Theresia Kraus. Prosecutors allege he killed his parents in 2017, buried them behind their Albany home and continued taking money from their accounts and retirement benefits.
Those allegations have not been proven at trial. Kraus is presumed innocent unless a jury finds him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Kraus contacted WRGB and sat for an interview with former anchor Greg Floyd in September 2025. During the broadcast, he described killing his parents and characterized their deaths as mercy killings. Police arrested him after he left the station.
His defense sought to keep the interview out of court, arguing that law enforcement’s presence and contact with the station created a coercive setting in which the media effectively acted for police.
Little rejected that argument. According to the 10-page decision described by the Times Union, police did not arrange the interview, write or suggest Floyd’s questions, or discuss the substance of the interview with news representatives. The investigator in the room was there to protect the participants.
That finding made the televised statements voluntary media remarks rather than a police interrogation subject to Miranda restrictions. The ruling preserves the interview as potential trial evidence, though prosecutors still must establish its relevance and the jury will decide what weight to give it.
The defense won a separate suppression issue involving questioning at an Albany police station. Little ruled that some statements Kraus made later in the interview must be excluded because he had clearly invoked his right to remain silent by saying he had to invoke his rights.
The decision matters beyond one unusual case. It tests where constitutional protections apply when a suspect speaks to a journalist while law enforcement is nearby. The court focused on control: who initiated the interview, who chose the questions and whether police directed the conversation.
Kraus’ lawyers continue to dispute the court’s treatment of the television interview. Chief Assistant Public Defender Rebekah Sokol said the defense believes the station and police crossed a line, while acknowledging the court disagreed.
Albany County District Attorney Lee Kindlon said prosecutors are preparing to present the case to a jury. Trial is scheduled to begin January 11. Until then, the ruling controls which statements jurors may hear, not whether Kraus is guilty.
Sources
Times Union, Judge rules Kraus TV confession can be used in murder trial
Associated Press, Man admits in TV interview to killing and burying his parents
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