On April 14, 2019, Dennis Kraus, a 74-year-old Caucasian male, and his wife Letha, 73, were found deceased in their Grand Chute, Wisconsin, home. The tragic discovery was made after their 17-year-old grandson, Alexander Kraus, called 911 to report that he had just killed his grandparents. When officers arrived at the residence on West Edgewood Drive, they found Dennis and Letha in the kitchen, both having been fatally shot.
Alexander was taken into custody at the scene without incident.
The investigation that followed revealed a chilling and premeditated plan. Investigators discovered several typed pages, authored by Alexander, that detailed his intentions to murder his grandparents. The motive behind the killings was to gain access to their firearms for a larger, planned attack on Neenah High School, where he was a student. The documents outlined his plot, though a specific motive for targeting his grandparents beyond accessing their guns was not made clear. In his confession to police, he admitted to shooting his grandfather first with a 20-gauge shotgun.
Alexander Kraus was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide. Throughout the legal proceedings, his mental state was a central issue. While he pleaded guilty, he also entered a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. A jury ultimately found that while Kraus did suffer from a mental illness, he was still capable of understanding that his actions were wrong and could be held criminally responsible. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison, with the possibility of parole after 40 years. Subsequent appeals for a new trial have been denied.
