The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Behind the Scenes of Greg Floyd’s Interview: Son Admits Killing Parents on Camera

• www.mollymcpherson.com • Episode 331

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This episode of The PR Breakdown examines a viral crime case out of Albany, New York, that drew national attention when a suspect confessed on camera to killing and burying his parents. Guest Greg Floyd, veteran journalist and anchor, recounts how the investigation evolved from a financial-crimes lead into a homicide revelation, and reflects on the ethics, accountability, and human weight behind the interview.

In this episode:

  • How the case surfaced and escalated from a backyard dig to a double homicide
  • The email that led to an on-camera interview and an unexpected confession
  • Techniques for guiding high-stakes interviews without sensationalism

Watch/Read:

  • Watch the Molly McPherson and Greg Floyd conversation on YouTube. 
  • Interviews and coverage on CBS 6 Albany’s YouTube and website
    • Full video: Man confesses to killing his parents during news interview, arrested in front of station
    • Full video: Lorenz Kraus speaks from jail after confession to parents' murder

Live & Archive:

Content note: This episode discusses homicide and may be distressing for some listeners.

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Greg Floyd:

What happened to your parents? So, did you kill your parents to as a mercy killing to put them out of their misery? I want to hear from you. What did you do to your parents?

Lorenz Kraus:

I buried them in their property.

Greg Floyd:

You suffocated them. You suffocated your parents.

Lorenz Kraus:

Yeah.

Greg Floyd:

That was the best way to take their lives through suffocation.

Lorenz Kraus:

Basically, you're a good question.

Molly McPherson:

Hey there, welcome to the PR Breakdown Podcast. This is an interesting episode because we are mid-viral story. Joining me is the guy who's all over the news this week, Greg Floyd.

Greg Floyd:

Hi Molly.

Molly McPherson:

Who I said on social media this week, my guy, Greg Floyd, and so many people in the comments said, Oh, that's so great for your colleague. And I thought, people must not be following me. We are colleagues. I guess we are colleagues. Yeah, so we are mid-peak of this viral story that you were a part of. Talk about the intersection of our lives just from a new story, but also how it's covered, but how it intersected with us too, how it came up. So on this edition of the podcast, I had to bring you in to have a conversation to bring you back to the podcast to talk about the story of the headline is the son who admitted he killed his parents to a television journalist. And you are that television journalist. It's viral, it's everywhere. And now you are here with me to talk about that story because it's a crazy story. Now, anyone can find it online. It's on the WRGB website, it's on YouTube, it's everywhere. But this podcast episode is a different angle. One, certainly the private angle of you and I working on it together. But I wanted to ask you about the angle coming from a journalist on the other side of it, because I think it's interesting. How the story came together, how you got this interview, how you got him to admit that he killed and buried his parents, then how it became a national story, and also if it's okay, how you're grappling with it.

Greg Floyd:

Sure. Okay. That's a lot to unpack.

Molly McPherson:

It's a lot, and we're gonna get through all of this. So let's go back to the beginning, which I consider was it Monday when the story started? It was on Tuesday.

Greg Floyd:

The story you want me to take you through this. Yeah. On Tuesday, basically on Tuesday, mid-morning, a large array of police vehicles and official vehicles descended on Crestwood Court in Albany. Nice residential neighborhood in the city of Albany. The news media all found out about that. We all went to the scene, and something was happening. All that the police would say was that it was a financial crimes investigation. It quickly became clear that it was a social security fraud investigation. And then it became more clear as the hours went by, something strange had happened at that home.

Molly McPherson:

And you knew, and I'm saying this because I know, because you told me, you knew that this was a big news story.

Greg Floyd:

It was obvious that they are calling it a financial crime story, but there's digging going on in the backyard. They weren't digging for financial records.

Molly McPherson:

Okay, so from a newsroom point of view, do you remember the time of day when this happened? Because at this time, you've had a number of people out at your station, so you're doing a lot of the newscasts. Did you find this out during the day?

Greg Floyd:

Yeah, it was late morning. Okay.

Molly McPherson:

And then did you report it that evening on the five and the six?

Greg Floyd:

We did, but again, it was with circumspect, but we handled it carefully because we weren't sure exactly what was happening. And we didn't want to give the wrong information. We wanted to give less information but correct information.

Molly McPherson:

Yes. And so now to get into the private aspect of our relationship, every day I ask you about your news stories, right? You do. Yes. And I always want to know what you're reporting on, what story you're doing, and what's the big news. And sometimes I definitely watch you on the newscast.

Greg Floyd:

Sometimes you're ahead of me. You're on the computer, you're finding out what's happening Albany before I do it.

Molly McPherson:

This is true, because I'm on Albany Reddit. So I hear about things ahead of time too. But you mentioned the story, you know, about the guy. We didn't know the guy's name yet. And now I remember it the next morning on your way to work. What morning was that you told me?

Greg Floyd:

It would be Wednesday morning.

Molly McPherson:

Okay, so Wednesday morning, did they find bodies at that point?

Greg Floyd:

No, they had not found a body yet on Wednesday morning.

Molly McPherson:

But you suspected that they would, right?

Greg Floyd:

Yes.

Molly McPherson:

Okay. And then I asked you that morning, where's the sun?

Greg Floyd:

Because you knew that it was a sun involved.

Molly McPherson:

And but and you said right away.

Greg Floyd:

It is a sun. It is a sun. The name of yeah.

Molly McPherson:

And you knew the name. And so as soon as I get anything, Greg, what do I do with it?

Greg Floyd:

Down the rabbit hole. Yep.

Molly McPherson:

I immediately start typing. I start looking. First place, I think I went to Reddit. I went to Google, obviously, is I think I did AI as well. But where I struck gold was on LinkedIn because he had a LinkedIn profile. He made a lot of comments, and he had even commented a week prior, which I wasn't expecting that. And when I looked at the commentary, I was telling you because you were driving into work, I said, I see crypto, China, anti-Semitic things, capitalism, and then the Philippines. So I said, Greg, I think he's nutty. And this was really the first you were hearing about what kind of person he was.

Greg Floyd:

That's it, all started unfolding then. And then later that day, more things unfolded.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah, and you also, I remember you asking me, because I can tell when you turn on your journalist too, because then you were asking me, okay, where did he go to school? When you really wanted that bio thing. So here's a question I have for you. Are you someone, do you put bio points together and build a story just even from that?

Greg Floyd:

At least you're planning on building a story. Yes. You want to give people whatever you can give them about what's going on. So yeah. Okay. A person's background is part of that, sure.

Molly McPherson:

Okay. So now I really want to get into more about how the story grew. So from that point, that day, I didn't speak to you all day. What happened next?

Greg Floyd:

That day, Wednesday, is when they found the first set of human remains in the backyard of this home. And that was widely reported that night, Wednesday night on our station, other TV stations, other media outlets. And the story was growing by the minute or by the hour.

Molly McPherson:

And it was a pretty competitive story in the market, obviously. Oh, of course, yeah. Yeah. And I was following along on Reddit, and a lot of people were asking questions about it as well. So now Thursday morning, what was happening on Thursday morning?

Greg Floyd:

Late Wednesday, they found the human remains of one person. By Thursday morning, they had found a second set of human remains, believed to be the parents, Franz and Teresa Krauss, who lived there, not officially identified even still. But now they have two sets of human remains. So the police hold a news conference to announce that. And that was at two o'clock on Thursday afternoon.

Molly McPherson:

Okay. And then what happened then?

Greg Floyd:

After that news conference, the son, Lawrence Krauss, contacted us. I believe he contacted other media outlets as well. He sent us an email requesting that we publish his two-page statement that he had come up with. Nothing to do with the things that were happening at that home, at that family home, but again, more of what you had seen online, his thoughts politically and globally and how the country should be run and things like that.

Molly McPherson:

Who did he contact? Is it like a general newsline? Like news?

Greg Floyd:

He emailed it to our news email address, yes.

Molly McPherson:

Okay. Okay, so then from there, and I didn't even ask you this yet. It comes in. Who tells you? So what time is it? And who tells you what's happening?

Greg Floyd:

That's well after two o'clock, well after three o'clock, even. And our news director, Stone Grissom, who had the email in his hands, had, I don't know if it was on there or not, but he got his phone number. And he called him and he got through to him and said, Listen, we will grant your request. We will publish this two-page manifesto if you will come over here and do an interview. And Mr. Krause said, okay. He acquiesced and said, sure, I'll do that. And the next thing we know, he tells us he's driving toward our station.

Molly McPherson:

I didn't ask you this. So when he sent the email asking for the manifesto, he didn't call it that. He just But a statement. A statement to be published. What did he want from it? What was transactional?

Greg Floyd:

Yeah, he wanted his thoughts out there. I think he saw this is his chance. Gosh, I'm in the news now. Here's my chance to get my theories out there.

Molly McPherson:

So at this point, was the police already saying his name in connection with it?

Greg Floyd:

Or he did he just know the gig was up and that's why I I just think he knew that he was in the limelight, so he wanted to capture that limelight and have a chance, have a vehicle to get his thoughts out that he thought were important to him and important for people to hear.

Molly McPherson:

Okay. And here's the reason why I'm asking it is because when you interviewed him, it did not appear to be a guy who wanted to admit or confess to killing his parents.

Greg Floyd:

He did not. Made that clear to our news director, Stone. He said, I'm taking the fifth on anything about what happened with my parents.

Molly McPherson:

I know he said that in the in interview with you, but he said that to Oh, he did.

Greg Floyd:

So we knew when he was coming over that he was not coming over to confess. He was coming over to talk about his statement.

Molly McPherson:

Okay. So, Greg, so now you have, I know it was reported that you had 10 minutes to prepare, but I remember when you were telling me about it at the time, you had no time to prepare.

Greg Floyd:

I think it was probably last time, yes, because he was about to walk in the door any minute. My news director had just run to my office and said, Are you up for doing this? Can you do this? And I said, Of course. And it was basically just throwing my jacket on and getting down to the lobby where we were setting up for the interview.

Molly McPherson:

Okay, so let's get into the broadcast news-esque part of this. You need to run down and do this interview, but you're also doing a broadcast interview. And did you know at that time it was going to be a big video interview? Like technically, you were doing an interview.

Greg Floyd:

Yes, I knew it was going to be on video and important, sure.

Molly McPherson:

Okay, because the aspect, and there are a lot of questions on Reddit, not a lot of people made a comment, but a couple on Facebook and Reddit, people noticing that you did not have socks on.

Greg Floyd:

And full disclosure, I had knee replacement surgery recently, so I've been wearing sneakers with my suit, and I did not want to go on camera with sneakers on, so I got up to my car quickly and got on a pair of comfortable black shoes at least. And yes, I it's not trivial.

Molly McPherson:

I know. But let me tell you why it's important. Okay. And I because I mentioned broadcast news, which of course is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's one of yours. Why does broadcast news the movie sing? It's because people love the behind the scenes. They love that. God, who was Albert Brooks in it? What was his name? Anthony. We're sweating, that's true for sure. No, I can't remember what his name is. I don't remember either. Oh, it's AA, it's alliterative. It will come to me in three hours. But I I think it is interesting because it shows news is happening. You have to make a choice. You're a news anchor, you're gonna be on camera, juggling a lot of stuff at at once. And so you had to sacrifice not having the socks.

Greg Floyd:

Well, it was virtually no time at all to get that done. And I'm thinking about things as I'm doing it. But again, I believe that going into that interview with no time to prepare, to no time to write out questions, no time to start researching what I didn't, didn't know, but not going in with prepared questions, I think is what made the interview successful. Because we sat down, the camera went on, and we just started talking.

Molly McPherson:

And I'll say this from knowing you you are the most prepared person I know. You prepare for everything. I do. Nothing. And when I'm not prepared, you know it. You're very patient with me because I am not at the level of you.

Greg Floyd:

I generally do stories about government waste and politicians and have to confront them, and I want to have the facts straight. And yes, I go in very prepared.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah. So when I was watching your interview, I don't think I told you this, but it's funny. I saw you sitting down because I have to look at you first as my boyfriend. Like, how does he look? And then I immediately noticed you don't have socks on. But I know why. I'm not judging you because I know you don't.

Greg Floyd:

Are we close to the part of the podcast where we stop talking about the lack of socks?

Molly McPherson:

No, what I noticed is like all those black shoes.

Greg Floyd:

Remember what you I just don't want to trivialize. No, we're not.

Molly McPherson:

But what I'm saying is because this is a viral story and we're not trivializing it, but it's comments online. People care about it, what people notice because I am in that world. I look at these things. So I'm not diminishing the weight of the story and how important it is. And I'm not criticizing you, but I'm just saying from the personal point of view, what it's like to be inside our relationship is one, I cannot believe what I'm watching. Like just knowing that we were talking about this guy, researching this guy. I went down the rabbit hole in this guy as well. And then knowing when you said to me that he came in to confess, I'm like, this guy.

Greg Floyd:

He didn't come in to confess, he came in and he confessed.

Molly McPherson:

No, yes, but that wasn't the intention, but you told me you'll never believe, you know, what happened. But it actually shows how quickly, though, I knew you had to put it together. That's what I could tell. Because you hadn't told me you had no time to put it together. When I saw the video for the first time, I had zero expectation, none. And when I saw you on air, I'm like, damn, this guy put this together like this. And even in the beginning, when you're sitting down as you were getting ready to talk, I was watching you, noticing, I'm like, this is fascinating because I know you so well. You normally have notes out, you have your notepad, and you're so prepared and you're so rehearsed, but your interview had a different cadence. And that's what it was, is because it really was fluid because you weren't prepared.

Greg Floyd:

Exactly. I just introduced him, and I think the first question was, let's go back to August of 2017. Tell me what happened. And we spent eight minutes going back and forth, and he had no intention of confessing and mentioned the Fifth Amendment a few times.

Molly McPherson:

So, did you know that right away when you were sitting down with him? Did it even occur to you that you were sitting across from a killer?

Greg Floyd:

Yes.

Molly McPherson:

It did occur to you.

Greg Floyd:

Yes.

Molly McPherson:

Were you ever worried about your safety?

Greg Floyd:

No. Because I got caught up in the moment and I was laser focused on talking with him, making him feel comfortable, and taking him where I thought he wanted to go.

Molly McPherson:

Okay, so pace with me on this very slowly, because this is interesting to me, because you and I didn't even talk about this. How tall of a guy is this guy?

Greg Floyd:

Oh, he's probably uh six feet. You're taller than five, eleven, six feet.

Molly McPherson:

Okay. Now, this is gonna sound silly, but is part of the reason why you weren't concerned about your safety is because you're taller than him? No. It just never occurred to you. It never occurred, no. Okay, and then what about did anybody worry about? I think I read in an article that he did get patted down?

Greg Floyd:

He was patted down by my news director who just wanted to make sure everyone was safe.

Molly McPherson:

Okay. So then when he was sitting there talking to you, like before when you started in there, tell me what was going on in your head. You as a reporter, are you already putting the story together? Or are you in this case is it different?

Greg Floyd:

It was somewhere between the two. Yeah. Oftentimes, as I'm doing interviews, I'm thinking, am I getting what I need out of the interview? Am I getting the right information, the information that's going to help our viewer help the story move along? Here, I knew I had to get to one place. I knew that I had to get to the place where he admitted killing his parents, would tell us how he killed his parents, why he killed his parents, and then what happened after.

Molly McPherson:

And then this manifest or the statement. Did you didn't have time to read it?

Greg Floyd:

I whipped through it quickly. I didn't care. I the statement meant nothing to me and means nothing to anyone in Albany. But did the story is what happened in that house on Crestwood Court eight years ago.

Molly McPherson:

But did the statement do anything to say what his state of mind was? Like that you were dealing with the same person or an insane person?

Greg Floyd:

An interesting, different person. I'm not a doctor. I don't know. I did ask him at one point in the interview if he was on any medication, if he felt he was of sound mind.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah, you did.

Greg Floyd:

He answered that he was not on medication, that he was of sound mind, and clearly he's a bright individual. He's a very bright individual. But again, I felt that he wanted to tell the truth at some point. It's been all these years. He's clearly hidden what happened all these years. It was coming to light now. Let it come fully to light.

Molly McPherson:

Do you think it was more about telling the truth or getting it off his chest?

Greg Floyd:

Combination of the two.

Lorenz Kraus:

Yeah.

Molly McPherson:

And you know what's interesting today as well is you and I were watching CBS Sunday morning. They did the story about Ted Kaczynski and Ted Kaczynski's brother who turned him in. And the story just intersected with this guy in a way.

Greg Floyd:

In a way, yeah. Beautifully told story on CBS.

Molly McPherson:

It was an incredible story. But going back in time to what Ted Kaczynski did, he was the Unabomber, which I don't remember Unabomber being university and airline. Did you remember that?

Greg Floyd:

I do, yeah.

Molly McPherson:

You do because you're a journalist.

Greg Floyd:

It's also a big story in Albany because David Kaczy, the brother, was working in Albany at the time that he turned his brother in.

Molly McPherson:

But the intersection of it, because Lawrence Krause was an intelligent person. And he graduated, if I remember correctly, at the top of his class at Siena. You're a smart guy. So it does have that kind of element, though he didn't hurt other people different than Ted Kaczynski. His crime was literally at home with his parents. So now, as he was telling his story, could you tell right away that he was dodging, that he didn't want to tell the truth, or did he want to get there?

Greg Floyd:

Anytime that I got anywhere near what happened, yes, it was dodging, and I don't want to talk about that. He invoked the Fifth Amendment a couple times.

Lorenz Kraus:

I have to plead my Fifth Amendment rights until I can disclose it with my statement there. I have to protect my Fifth Amendment rights on this.

Greg Floyd:

But I said, you understand I'm not an officer of the law, I'm not an officer of the court. I'm a journalist. So you can tell me what happened.

Molly McPherson:

Which I thought was very good when I was watching it. So it when it aired. So were you just sitting in the studio when it aired?

Greg Floyd:

Yeah, I saw it for the obviously I lived through it, but I saw it for the first time on our six o'clock broadcast. We just put a brief portion on at five o'clock, and then we devoted our entire half hour at six to running a 24-minute version of the interview, the first 24 minutes of the interview. And then I sat transfixed like I think many other people did.

Molly McPherson:

Okay, I didn't ask you this question before, but there were a number of people on Reddit, on Facebook, under the comments and everything asking, is Greg Floyd okay? That was one.

Greg Floyd:

I appreciate it that people asked that. Yeah. Yeah.

Molly McPherson:

They understood the gravity of it. And I never asked you this question. I'm asking you now. You were obviously at the anchor desk, watching it back, right? What were you thinking? What was happening to you at that moment?

Greg Floyd:

Like with any interview, you don't remember the entire interview, even something of this magnitude and nature. First thing I do after doing an interview, if it's for one of my political stories, is I go through the tape. I go through the video and start making notes and pulling out sound bites. And for me, in essence, that was what this was, my first chance of really seeing it. Because when you're in it, you don't remember everything you said, everything he said. I was not taking any notes, as I often do in other stories. You might take notes as you go along. I was not taking notes because I was laser focused on him and what he was saying and what I could say in reaction to what he was saying.

Molly McPherson:

Were you understanding when you were watching it from a news coverage point of view? Did you think this is a different story? This story has a lot of weight. Are you is your brain even going there yet?

Greg Floyd:

It was not. It was not. My brain was going, I need to find out what happened in that house. As I've told other people, two people died, two elderly people who their son described as children of World War II passed away. And I just, it still affects me. It hits me. As I think about this, I think about the parents constantly.

Molly McPherson:

When I was watching it, of course I'm watching it for you naturally. I'm watching how you're doing. I'm predicting what you're gonna say. And a couple times I told you this. Like I predicted what your question was gonna be. I think I know you so well. Because you are such a good journalist, and I'm not saying this as your girlfriend, I'm saying this. You really are. I think you're an exceptional journalist, and I knew that you were gonna handle it well. And it's not to make the whole ordeal trivial, but I'm watching it from a viewer point of view, and I'm also watching it from the news coverage point of view. In my mind, I'm thinking, does this story go viral? Does this story go national? And then I'm listening for sound bites, and then I'm also listening for strategy from you. I'm watching, where is Greg going with this? Because this was a long interview. It was like 37 minutes, something like that.

Greg Floyd:

I mean, it took me eight or nine minutes to get to the point where he admitted his crime.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah, and from the beginning, like he said, one of the quotes is I did my duty to my parents.

Lorenz Kraus:

I did my duty to my parents. I did my duty to them as a son. They don't have the same kind of sense of duty to their parents as I did.

Molly McPherson:

He kept talking about duty, and I felt like he wanted to justify euthanasia in some sort. What did you think he wanted to do at that time with sitting down and talking to you?

Greg Floyd:

I think initially he just wanted to talk about his political views in his statement, and I never let him go there.

Molly McPherson:

You never let him go there, no?

Greg Floyd:

We weren't going there. But then at some point, I believe that he did want to get this out, that he knew that it's done, that his time is up, that we're gonna find out what happened. So why not come forth and tell us what happened? And I phrased it that way a few times. But to answer your question before, or your thought process before, I wasn't thinking this was gonna go viral. I had no interest in that. This is not a victory lab. This is we're just deconstructing what happened because there's a lot of interest in it out there. But yes, at some point, I believed he wanted to go there and that I had to take him there.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah, but the whole point of this episode and what you and I have been talking about too is naturally this is my point of view of it. That's how I'm looking at it. I'm not the journalist sitting there trying to get the story out. I'm the viewer who's transfixed by this story, and then also the girlfriend. But also, I'm in issues management. I'm looking at him wondering, I see what this guy's trying to do. I thought it was fascinating watching the strategy behind what he was doing, but watching the strategy behind what you were doing as well. That is what was most interesting to me, is I felt that he was trying to deflect, like he never wanted to confess to killing his parents. He wanted to be the son who was dutiful and helped his parents.

Greg Floyd:

And he was setting that up. He was talking about uh what he saw as them being growing more and more infirm, deteriorating. The examples he gave didn't sound like examples of people who were near death. It sounded like people who, yes, were deteriorating, but not to the point where their lives needed to be taken. Not that their lives ever should be needed to be taken, but that a son could justify the taking of their lives bec out of his love for them in a merciful setting. It just didn't seem like they were at that point. Uh obviously they didn't deserve to die, and that's something that motivated me too, is that I just felt like we need to to get justice for these people.

Molly McPherson:

Okay. And I I didn't ask you this before, but I felt watching you that you were becoming the voice of the parents. Like that you were the guardian of the parents in a way.

Greg Floyd:

Maybe a little bit.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah. And I think now, just the last few days of you processing this. Do you think that's what's weighing on you is the parents?

Greg Floyd:

I that's I do think about that, yes.

Molly McPherson:

You think about them, don't you? Yeah.

Greg Floyd:

Yeah, I do.

Molly McPherson:

And without getting it.

Greg Floyd:

And I'm glad that the world is thinking about that.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah. They're getting their they're getting their justice. It was what, seven and a half years that he eight years, yeah. Eight years that he got away with this. And what really didn't come up from him at all is there was no justification between I needed to get my parents out of their misery, but also cashing checks for almost eight years.

Greg Floyd:

Yeah. I'm no expert and I haven't studied this yet since then. But my general feeling is that when they're when mercy killings do occur, that they are not covered up, that the killer believes that they acted correctly and they go to the authorities and tell them what happened. My parent was near death, and I wasn't going to let him or her suffer another minute, and I took their life. And they're often treated with some degree of compassion. When obviously this is a debate that goes on in this country and other countries all the time. But that just didn't seem to be the case here. It seemed more cold-blooded to me. But what I was saying is that he never turned himself in. He committed this supposed, in his mind, mercy killing, but didn't turn himself in. Covered up his actions, buried them in the backyard, kept cashing the checks. He said he was giving the checks to charity in the Philippines. We don't know if that's we don't know if that's true. But he clearly knew, and I asked him, we we talked about it a little bit, but didn't get as far as I wanted to go with that. If he knew what he did was wrong and he said he didn't feel it was wrong, but he obviously knew it was wrong in the sense that it legally it was wrong because he was covering it up.

Molly McPherson:

And because you are an accountability journalist, you're known in Albany for your series. You paid for it. You paid for it. I think that's what you were doing in this interview. But you were doing it on behalf of that parent.

Greg Floyd:

Well, sure, we were holding him accountable.

Molly McPherson:

Holding him accountable. So as I mentioned, when I was watching the interview, okay, I'm listening to sound bites. I am listening to sound bites, and honestly, I'm thinking, okay, this is an incredible story. These are the types of stories that go viral. While I'm also watching you, and then for a short part of it, I was videoing my reaction to watching you for the first time because I thought, and I said, Greg, this is incredible. I really thought this was the pinnacle of your career. It's incredible. It's not reported a lot, but a lot of people on Reddit and locally in Albany know you're retiring soon.

Greg Floyd:

At the end of the year, I am.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah, it's incredible. But I don't think you can retire until there's some resolution there because these parents got to you. That's true. They got to you. So here's one of the about the sound bites. Like when you would say something, I said, This is what's gonna go viral. Quote When your parents died, did they know what was happening to them?

Greg Floyd:

When your parents died, did they know it was happening to them?

Molly McPherson:

Right. And do you remember what he was saying there?

Greg Floyd:

He said they did.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah. And then this is the quote that went everywhere. Like I think every news article that I've read that you've been in, where they've captured it, they said from you, and they knew it was at your hand. When I heard you say that, I thought, okay, remarkable, because I felt, and tell me if I'm right or wrong about this, you didn't want to be harsh and say, Did you kill him? Did you strangle? Like you didn't use those hard words. You were coming up with softer versions to get him there. Am I accurate with that?

Greg Floyd:

I think you're accurate. I was trying to be polite to him and have a civil discourse. And yes, and at that point too, I didn't know. I was in the dark, I didn't know how he killed them. So I I guess that it was either with some kind of drug or poison or a suffocation. I was envisioning possibly using a pillow to just suffocate them if they were so infirm.

Molly McPherson:

That would be you and I never talked about this. This point of it is that when I was watching you, I thought, does he know how he did it? We were watching you think in real time.

Greg Floyd:

That's right.

Molly McPherson:

Trying to figure out how he did it.

Greg Floyd:

And when I I think I said No, was that your hand? Well, yes, no one else.

Molly McPherson:

That was the confession. Greg, that was unbelievably compelling video, watching that. That was incredible when he said that. I said there's he just confessed. You got him to confess.

Greg Floyd:

And I think then after that, I asked him how he did it.

Molly McPherson:

Yes.

Greg Floyd:

I said, because I've only watched this once. Uh I did not want to watch it. I will watch it again, but I have not watched it again since. So every line is not fresh in my head. But I believe then I said, Did you use some sort of poison or drugs? And he said, No. And I said, Did you suffocate them? And he just put his head back and went, Were there drugs involved? Was there a suffocation? Was there you suffocated them.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah. My gosh, Greg, that part of that interview was astounding. People don't normally hear people for the first time say it out loud. I think that's what it was. That was the first time he confessed it. And also when you were bringing him there to explain what he did, he said my father might hand if I'm a mother a rope.

Lorenz Kraus:

So he as he put it, he denied them oxygen.

Molly McPherson:

My father died very quickly, like surprisingly quickly.

Lorenz Kraus:

You know, I think my father uh died very quickly, uh surprisingly quickly, quickly. And he also He said after that that the mother then put her head on his chest. Um my father, and he after he died, my mother put her head on his chest.

Molly McPherson:

I I think that's the part that got you there. That's when it started to sink in with you.

Greg Floyd:

The next line is the one that really got me. And I said, Then did you kill her? And he said, Not for a few hours later. I finished her.

Lorenz Kraus:

She was there for a few hours and then um I finished her. It was that line. I finished her.

Molly McPherson:

It but Greg, that's why this interview is so and I know you at a much deeper level than most people know you. And I know how you want to report stories. You always want to get to the truth of the matter. And I knew you wanted to get there's no way he was leaving without confessing to what he did. But watching it, that's when I noticed I thought it's those parents are getting to you. It's that I think that was like almost in a way, it was like driving you to get justice for them, too. Have this guy take accountability for it. Okay. So then did you know at that point when he admitted it? What did you think?

Greg Floyd:

I thought I've got to keep getting more information. Really? It wasn't like, okay, you've admitted it, interview over. No. I when we kept talking. I keep going back to I I wanted to know when did you bury them? How long were they in the house? They were in the house for days before he buried them. How long was it before you buried them? Um approximately. Two or three days, actually. And why did he how did he choose to do that and how did he do it? And he talked about that, and we covered that ground. And I thought it was important to hear more details about that. I remember thinking, especially as soon as it was over, did I ask enough questions? Did I go to enough places? Did I get enough background on him, enough background on his parents? But people seem to think that we got just what we needed.

Molly McPherson:

Aaron Powell It really was. And the fact that it was 37 minutes, but you also did now I did a social media post about that afterwards, and I think one of the reasons why that video worked so well, why the interview works so is you let him speak, you let him go when he was talking about his parents, but whenever he wanted to talk about the statement, you allowed him a beat or two to keep him involved, but you wouldn't let him go much further. You cut it. It's like you had no time for the statement. And then also you said, nowhere here in the statement does it say that you admit to killing anything. Like you you were cornering him and pressuring him. It really is incredible. Do you feel like you brought justice to the parents?

Greg Floyd:

Partial justice. Obviously, the courts will do that. So, yes, in some way, yes. Do you feel any guilt? In some ways, yes. What? It's still obviously I don't have any doubt in my mind that he killed them in cold blood and they didn't deserve to die. But I still have I've done stories before with politicians who have done bad things with money, who have cheated the taxpayer out of money, and have gone to prison as a result. But they didn't go directly to prison after my interviews. That was part of the process. And there were in this case, he was arrested in our parking lot the minute he left me. And I think about that that this man is now behind bars right after he told me what he did. And I don't want to sound Like I'm soft or anything, but I think about that. He's in the right place, he's where he should be, no doubt about it.

Molly McPherson:

So a man went to jail at your hand, and that makes you feel guilty for his fate.

Greg Floyd:

Doesn't make me feel guilty. It just makes me think.

Molly McPherson:

Makes you think that someone's life, the trajectory changed because of something that you did in life.

Greg Floyd:

Well, you know what? It changed because of what he did. Not what I did. It changed because of what he did.

Molly McPherson:

And he was going to jail regardless.

Greg Floyd:

At some point.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah. Now, what about the arrest at the station? Now, did you know that was going to happen as soon as he left the station?

Greg Floyd:

I did not know, but we were aware that he was being followed and surveilled and that the police knew he was at our station.

Molly McPherson:

How did the police know he was at your station?

Greg Floyd:

Because they were following him.

Molly McPherson:

Oh, because they were following him in the car anyway.

Greg Floyd:

Yes. And our news director had did talk with the police because he wanted to make sure everyone was safe and that we didn't do anything to jeopardize what the police were doing.

Molly McPherson:

Did you know he was going to get arrested as soon as he walked out the door?

Greg Floyd:

I did not, but I looked out the door and I saw quite a few officers out there and I put two and two together.

Molly McPherson:

Were you shocked? No.

Greg Floyd:

Weren't at that point.

Molly McPherson:

Okay, so what time was he rested? What time?

Greg Floyd:

It was about 4 35 or so.

Molly McPherson:

And you went on the air at five. So someone in your newsroom had to turn, like a producer had to turn that around?

Greg Floyd:

Yes. And it which is also a little tough with our system. You had to get the whole 35 minutes into the system and then turn it around. I'm on the news desk at 458, 459, and the producer's talking to my air and saying, It's not there yet, it's not there yet, it's not there yet. And I'm thinking, oh my god.

Molly McPherson:

Broadcast news, Aaron.

Greg Floyd:

But it got there.

Molly McPherson:

Yes. Okay. But really, this is straight out of broadcast news. When Joan Cusack is running the tape down and everything. So when you went on the air at five, you knew that you had the tape. And they at five, they just did a clip of it, right?

Greg Floyd:

We did a couple of minutes of it.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah. And then did you know then at six you were going to run the entire interview?

Greg Floyd:

Yes.

Molly McPherson:

Okay. So then that night it it hits. So what is your newsroom like as soon as you get off the air from Anchoring?

Greg Floyd:

Everyone was astounded. I found out that something was going on, that something was happening with this interview organically and virally, right away at six o'clock. My phone started blowing up. And people are writing to me and saying, wow, my jaw is on the floor. I just I can't believe what I just saw. I'm hearing that over and over from people from all walks of life, friends, acquaintances, the politicians who I confront at the Capitol. As I told you, I was up until well after midnight because I was just trying to be polite and answer all these nice emails and texts that I was getting. Yes. And that's when I said, there's this is more than just a news story.

Molly McPherson:

And you never really thought about the story itself from the coverage piece of it. That's that was me. That's what I was doing. And I noticed too when it happened, I thought this is going to be a national story, but I was curious how long does it take? Because a headline, Son Confesses to Killing Parents to a Television Journalist, is on camera. That's an incredibly compelling story. And even the New York Times, so now fast forward Friday morning was the next morning. I think the first place where we saw it was it went to other affiliates. They picked it up. The New York Post picked it up and went, ah, there's the first viral hit that I saw. But then on Saturday, you and I were driving, and that's when I had you listen to the New York Times article. We found out it made the New York Times. And you loved this.

Greg Floyd:

I just thought their first line was very descriptive. That's all. I just thought it was a good piece of writing.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah, but the reason why the New York Times story was so good is that it set the scene.

Greg Floyd:

Right.

Molly McPherson:

You know, that it's just two people sitting there in two chairs. Yeah, that they even picked up that details as well. Now talk to me quickly about the jailhouse interview.

Greg Floyd:

That came out of the So on Friday, he was arraigned in Albany City Court, where he pleaded not guilty as you basically must do at that point. And he was sent to the Albany County jail. So I immediately texted the sheriff of the Albany County Jail to say, listen, is he there yet? And if he is, can you ask him if he'll do an interview? And I got a response back very quickly saying interviews ago. So we were you shocked? I was.

Molly McPherson:

Now, did other news outlets do the same thing?

Greg Floyd:

I had a feeling they would. And so we race over there as we are walking in. There's another news outlet pulling in behind us. So I was the first one there. And we set up in the room where families get to meet with inmates, you know, in a heavily controlled situation. The guards were there. Hold on.

Molly McPherson:

Have you ever done a jailhouse interview before?

Greg Floyd:

Not in a long time. Okay. In a long time.

Molly McPherson:

Okay.

Greg Floyd:

So we're set up. As I was setting up, I saw a man in a suit walk out of a room that's set aside for lawyers to meet with their clients. And he was meeting with a young woman who was an inmate at the jail. And when he walked out, he gave me a wave and a nod, and I gave him one back. And we get set up for the interview. And I see out of the corner of my eye, that man in a suit is standing there. I didn't know why. I ask Mr. Krause one question, maybe two, and all of a sudden I hear that's it. The interview's over.

Lorenz Kraus:

Was it a loving relationship you had with your defender's office? Um not in a loving I wouldn't characterize it as loving.

Greg Floyd:

And I said, turn around and said respectfully, I thought that the woman who was with him in court this morning was his lawyer. And he said, We work together in the public defender's office. The office is his lawyer, and I am ending this interview. And I say to Lawrence, Do you want to end the interview? And he said, No, I can keep talking. So I just went right back into talking as if the lawyer was.

Molly McPherson:

Why did you know to push back on that?

Greg Floyd:

Because I'm sitting there with him and and I didn't feel good that this man was really his lawyer, to be honest. Yeah, okay.

Molly McPherson:

All right. You were pushing it.

Greg Floyd:

It worked, and we kept talking. And we I asked probably six or seven or eight more questions. And then I asked him something again, very specific about the crime. And the lawyer basically said, I'm not quoting him exactly correctly. He said, That's it. This interview's over. Lawrence, stand up right now and walk out with me. And at that point, Lawrence did. And Lawrence, again, as he was talking a couple of times, referred to the lawyer, looked over at him and said, I don't feel right answering with him. And I said, You don't do whatever you feel, but I'm going to keep asking you questions. And so we finished that interview. It was a much shorter interview. And yeah. But what came out of that interview was that we talked about his relationship with his parents. Yes. And he told me that it was a harsh relationship. And I asked him if it was a loving relationship, and he said no, it was not.

Lorenz Kraus:

Was it a loving relationship you had with your parents? Um not in a loving I I I wouldn't characterize it as loving.

Molly McPherson:

That was the part of that interview that I thought was astounding because you were again, you were going back to the parents, you were going back to the family life. Also, what drove you to ask that question?

Greg Floyd:

Because I just wanted to know more about his parents. And he gave me very perfunctory answers about his dad was uh he worked at GE and his mom tried to be a teacher, but that didn't always work out. But I just heard something the way he was talking. It just didn't sound like the way a person talks about their parents. So I asked him about the I just asked about the relationship. He may have been offered something at first, and then I just went with it. I don't remember for sure.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah, the jailhouse interview was just as interesting to me. You said, this is to Lawrence, since you told me yesterday that you killed your parents, do you feel a sense of relief today? And this answer surprised me. Not any extra relief. No, not at all.

Greg Floyd:

Aaron Ross Powell But then I asked him again, and he said there was some relief.

Molly McPherson:

But the first time though, he said no, that surprised me.

Greg Floyd:

Yeah, it surprised me too. That's why I asked the question a second time. Really?

Molly McPherson:

Oh, see, now that's just good journalism there. And that's also when he started to go down the rabbit hole. He said, I appeal to ancient German law. I'm making the claim that I'm the initial trustee of the New York State Board of Trustees. And that's why I'm thinking in your head when I'm watching, going, you don't care about any of this.

Greg Floyd:

I think my response to him he said, I'm pleading to be tried through that board of trustees as a and I said, that's not gonna happen.

Molly McPherson:

No, and again, and I know you're a journalist, you do not let emotions come in. You don't. But I th these parents got to you when you said this. Quote, but who are you to decide other than being their son? Can you play God? You did not, it's as if this arrogance of him and what he did to those parents sat so poorly with you. You were not letting him get away with that.

Greg Floyd:

Yeah, and I wanted to ask, and that right around there is where the lawyer cut it off, somewhere around there. Because I wanted to ask more specifically, how does a person know that end of life is near and that if I allow them to live another day, they're gonna be in horrible pain? Or I guess I never believed that they were any not that I believe a mercy killing, that's a whole different thing. And it's not for me to say if it's good or bad. But I just don't think this is anywhere near the level of where your typical mercy killing might be, if that makes any sense. And I don't want to say the wrong thing here, but I know you don't.

Molly McPherson:

I don't want to say it's a personal story to you, but there's a personal aspect to you, to the story that you're processing as you do it. Wouldn't you agree that I've known you a long time, you've done a lot of stories. This one has affected you in a way that most stories really don't. You just get to the truth of the matter.

Greg Floyd:

Most stories don't have this subject matter.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah.

Greg Floyd:

It's it's those parents and also And sitting face to face with the person who did it. A killer.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah.

Greg Floyd:

I should be saying as a journalist and alleged killer, but he told me he did it.

Molly McPherson:

And now the DA is involved. Governor Kathy Hokel spoke about it on her statement. Quote, this is so beyond the pale to contemplate the hatred in someone's heart. Now that so what's the next phase of the story?

Greg Floyd:

There's still forensic evidence to be gathered or analyzed. Autopsies have to be done. We don't know the condition of the remains, what they'll be able to determine. And then the legal process will have to play out. I don't want to get into anything about whether this will be used as part of the legal process. I don't know. I don't know what he has said to authorities since I talked to him twice. They could have been meeting with him all weekend. We'll find out more on Monday. But it's a legal process to play out, and we'll have to see. Apparently he doesn't have money. That's why the public defender, at least for now, is defending him because he claims he gave his money, the money that he was getting from Social Security at least, away. There'll be a lot to play out here. But the legal process, it's a slow process, and it'll take some time, and let's just hope they get it right.

Molly McPherson:

I think you did an outstanding job. I watching it from the viewer point of view, I think Lawrence knew what he was doing. I think it's a financial crime. I think he's into crypto. I think he knew what he was doing. I think he was sane minded. I don't think he had a good relationship with his parents.

Greg Floyd:

And you're not going to make it on the jury.

Molly McPherson:

No, they will not be calling me to be on the jury at all. But you and I were talking about it on Saturday. We were having a nice dockside lunch. Or decompression. Yeah, decompression, going through reading all the articles and talking about it. And I thought, if anyone was listening to us right now, they're thinking, what are these two people talking about? But we were reading the different articles, and what sat with us, because like you, the parents, it just feels like these parents clearly did not deserve to die. And his narrative is that they were infirmed and they were almost already, I was taking them out of their misery, but it was the tomatoes. The New York Times brought up the tomatoes. What was it about the tomatoes that got to us?

Greg Floyd:

It's thinking if a person is planting tomatoes, they're certainly capable of living in a fairly rich life. They're not at the end of life.

Molly McPherson:

Exactly. They have plans. They have plans for tomatoes, don't grow overnight, they go through the season and they're and he said that his parents were implying that they wanted it to be over. No.

Greg Floyd:

You don't plant tomatoes when you want your life to be over.

Molly McPherson:

I know. And then when we were buying tomatoes at the farmer's market today, honestly, I was thinking. And I didn't want to bring it up because this morning you had this dream, like this guilt dream. But it's like, I don't know, that you're doing your job and you always do your job. You are the best journalist I know. But I think these parents, you want accountability for these parents.

Greg Floyd:

And we'll see what happens.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah. All right, Gregory. Let me do a journalistic trick, if you will. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Greg Floyd:

No, I think we covered it pretty well. You can see the interview on our YouTube page, our CBS Six Albany YouTube page. Because I I think after hearing this podcast, that if people haven't seen it, it might behoove them to check it out.

Molly McPherson:

And we're going to be talking about basically. Yeah, absolutely. And tomorrow you're scheduled, we don't know if it's going to happen, but you're scheduled to do an interview with CBS Morning.

Lorenz Kraus:

Correct.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah, so they're going to do a story about that. And I think there are a lot of comments on social media. One, some asking if you were okay, many saying that you're an incredible interrogator, that you should go into police work after this. That's what I think overwhelming most people said. Some people question the involvement of a journalist, and now none of this is admissible in court because he pled the fifth and you were asking him questions. But this is where I give you credit, like that you were juggling this entire interview and you said, I'm not. What were your words?

Greg Floyd:

I think I said I'm not an officer of the law. I'm not an officer of the court. Yeah, exactly. I'm just a journalist.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah, that was good. And Greg, I am going to sing with the chorus of everyone else. That was an incredible interview. And I so it's one thing to watch it as a viewer and someone who watches news and follows news and tracks it, especially viral news, but also as your partner in life. I was so proud of you.

Greg Floyd:

Thank you. But again, it's important to me that this is not seen like you and I talking about this or anything I do when I talk to people, it's not a victory lab.

Molly McPherson:

I know. You won't take it as one.

Greg Floyd:

Because it shouldn't be, because the stakes are too high here. Again, it's the deaths of two people who went through a lot in life and just I don't think deserve to have their lives ended at that point. And I just don't think we can forget that. That this we can't revel in any way about this interview because of what brought it on.

Molly McPherson:

No, but what we can point out, which is what I wanted to point out in this episode, is from a journalistic point of view. And also there are news editors right now who are likely showing this interview to young reporters. This was, it's an overused word, but it really was a master class in reporting, in uncovering a story, in finding, trying to find accountability through asking questions. And Greg, I appreciate what you're saying and I understand, but I will say it on your behalf, even though I know you don't want it. It was astounding journalism to watch it happen in real time. It really was.

Greg Floyd:

And if people can learn from that, I'm fine with that. That's great. I just don't want it to be a case where we're taking credit.

Molly McPherson:

I don't think anyone is. And your station isn't, and you're you definitely are not. I can say that from the behind the scenes. It's weighing on you, but also I think you're just happy that when it's journalism done the right way. Would you agree? Sure. I'll go with that. Yeah. And also, these were two people who it's some people were curious about them and wondering about them, but for almost eight years nothing was done for these people, and now there is justice for them.

Greg Floyd:

I also wonder if it might make people think, and I know you want to wrap up here, and I thank you for giving me the time, but I also wonder if it might make people think about keeping a closer eye on their neighbors.

Molly McPherson:

Yes.

Greg Floyd:

And not that anyone on that street did anything wrong, but the this couple was there one day and gone the next. And I don't want to criticize any neighbors. And I believe that Mr. Krause had told them that his parents moved back to Germany, but it might not have hurt to contact authorities then. Not that that would have stopped the killings. But I just think it's a good idea. I just think it's a good reminder to keep track of your neighbors, to keep track of the elderly, of seniors. But just that, yeah, we are all in this together. And if you can keep track of people and be a good neighbor, maybe that's a lesson learned here.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah, and you're not spending a lot of time in the comments, I am, on social media. I think you're right. It there's that story that's there, because a lot of people talked about that. And the New York Times did really good reporting, and your station did as well, interviewing the neighbors. Neighbors knew, but they thought it was odd. But then again, in society today, not everybody gets into people's.

Greg Floyd:

You don't want to stick your nose in other people's business. Exactly. But maybe a little sticking your nose in a little bit of the business might not be.

Molly McPherson:

When it concerns you, but Greg, here's another little narrative that came up in the commentary. So many people talking, kids, sandwich generation, as caregivers. What it's like to be a caregiver to parents at that stage. And so many are saying how hard it is.

Greg Floyd:

But what he did is not the answer. Find your help.

Molly McPherson:

Yes. But I think what people did when they watched it, and so many people, let's say this in the comments, they watched every minute of that interview. Watched it. And I read a lot of the comments about people who were taking care of elderly parents. And they all said the same thing. Yes, it's hard work. Yes, it's hard on the soul, it's hard on the body. But obviously, you would never do that to your parents. But that's where they felt that he was so culpable of guilt because there's just a different amount of care, even though it is a burden to kids, there's still so much care there. You you would never even think, you know, of that. And I think that's what But I would stress there's help out there.

Greg Floyd:

Yeah. And you have to find it.

Molly McPherson:

So thank you for sharing your side of the story with me. But also in this podcast, that you could bring in the kind of inside perspective, inside baseball, from a journalist's point of view. It's a hard story, it's a heavy story, but it's still just a news story, too, right? It is, yes. Yeah. And I appreciate you letting me bring the private side out as well.

Greg Floyd:

That's okay. We're a team.

Molly McPherson:

Yes, exactly. All right. So, Greg, where can people find this full interview? I know I have it in the show notes, but where is it also?

Greg Floyd:

It's on the CBS 6 Albany YouTube page and on our CBS6 Albany website, uh, on our Facebook page as well. So it's out there in quite a few places. But there's, I think, a 24-minute version and a 30-something minute version as well.

Molly McPherson:

And there's also the jailhouse interview as well. Right. Yeah, both of them together.

Greg Floyd:

So if you're and our full coverage too, other stories that we've did leading up to it and that we've done since.

Molly McPherson:

Yeah, so this isn't the end of the story. I think it will definitely have a life at your station, but it's also going to have a life in true crime. I think that other people are going to highlight the story in the future. So you did a good job, Greg.

Greg Floyd:

Thank you for the help.

Molly McPherson:

All right. That's all for this edition of the PR Breakdown podcast. Thanks so much for listening. Bye for now.

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