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A 35-year-old man who lived with his parents is accused of killing his father and wounding his mother.
By JAMIE MALERNEE
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 9, 2001
BROOKSVILLE -- A man shot his parents Monday, killing his father and seriously injuring his mother before he calmly walked to a neighbor's house and called 911, authorities said.
John Ernest Krause, 35, waited for deputies to arrive at the home west of Brooksville and surrendered at 3 p.m. He faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder, assuming his mother lives, authorities said.
Authorities gave no motive for the shootings, although neighbors said Krause lived with his parents at 8135 Madison St. and often fought with them.
Edward Krause, 70, and Gertrude Krause, 67, supported their son and at times urged him to do more with his life, neighbors said.
"You never saw him doing anything. He slept all day and went out at night, if he went out at all," neighbor Brenda Green said. "He was a really quiet person."
The father, a retired boat mechanic and builder, died at the home. The mother, a home health care nurse's aide, was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. Hospital officials would not release her condition late Monday, although authorities said her injuries were life-threatening.
The shootings shocked the rural neighborhood where the Krauses had lived for about two decades in a small mobile home off a dirt road.
Olivia Uribe, 8, was playing with her Dalmatian, Scooby-Doo, across the street when shots rang out.
"I heard two gunshots. I thought (a neighbor) was working in the yard on his car, so I went back to playing house," Olivia said.
Kim Trudell was home with her children, 6 and 3, when John Krause appeared a few minutes later. She hadn't heard the commotion.
"He came up and said he needed to use the phone," recalled Trudell's husband, Mark. "She let him use it, and then she called me on the cell phone and said, "There's some weirdo here. Come home now.' But she didn't know anything was really wrong, other than that he looked strange."
But Krause would go on to tell officials over the phone that he had just shot his parents in the head and he would be at the neighbor's home if they wanted to pick him up.
He told them his name was John and that he would be waiting for them outside, authorities said. He never threatened Mrs. Trudell or her children.
True to his word, Krause was waiting with his hands above his head when deputies swarmed the tiny yellow mobile home at 13125 Webster St. He left a pistol on a fence post, out of his reach, sheriff's spokeswoman Deanna Dammer said.
"He just stayed there, and we picked him up," Dammer said.
After Krause was taken into custody, investigators questioned him and booked him into the Hernando County Jail. If his mother dies, a second murder charge could be added, Dammer said. John Krause has no prior criminal record.
As they absorbed the news of the killing, friends of the Krauses said they are mourning for Ed Krause, who was known throughout the neighborhood for the woodworking and toys he made, including complex train set-ups and lawn ornaments.
A former Air Force mechanic who grew up in Staten Island, N.Y., Ed Krause moved to Florida in 1967 and worked for a St. Petersburg yacht company, building and repairing boats before retiring.
Friends added that if Mrs. Krause survives, the pain of losing her husband could be overwhelming.
"They were really close," Grace Couch said. "They were planning a huge 50th anniversary party for later this year. It was going to be a luau (theme) . . . and she was so excited."
- Times researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report.