Lloyd Neurauter

Lloyd Neurauter was living in New Jersey at the time of his arrest, but had previously lived with his family in Corning, New York.

He was married to Michele Neurauter for approximately 25 years. The couple had three daughters and divorced in 2012. Following the divorce, they became involved in a prolonged custody dispute over their youngest daughter.

Their middle daughter, Karrie, was 19 when Michele was killed. Karrie was attending the Rochester Institute of Technology and had been moving into an apartment in Rochester shortly before the murder.

The relationship between Lloyd and Michele had become increasingly hostile following their divorce. Investigators learned that Lloyd had also accumulated substantial financial obligations connected with the divorce and was paying Michele significant monthly support.

Neurauter's only confirmed murder was the killing of his ex-wife, Michele Neurauter.

On August 27, 2017, Michele was found dead inside her home in Corning. Her body was hanging from a cord attached to a stair railing, initially making the death appear to be a suicide.

Investigators, however, noticed a suspicious ligature mark across Michele's chin and other injuries that were inconsistent with a straightforward hanging.

A subsequent forensic review determined that Michele had been manually strangled before her body was staged to make the death appear self-inflicted.

Neurauter later admitted that he had killed Michele and attempted to disguise the homicide as a suicide.

Neurauter used strangulation to kill Michele.

After strangling her, he placed a cord around her neck and arranged her body so that investigators would initially believe she had taken her own life.

He also involved his 19-year-old daughter, Karrie, in the plan. According to Karrie's account and Neurauter's own later admission, he threatened to kill himself if she did not help him kill her mother. Karrie subsequently helped him gain access to Michele's home and assisted in staging the scene.

The investigation initially faced a major obstacle because Neurauter appeared to have an alibi.

He had travelled to Rochester shortly before Michele's death and then flew to California for a job interview. His cellphone remained in his hotel room, apparently supporting his claim that he had stayed there overnight. However, surveillance footage showed that he had left the hotel with Karrie and did not return until the following morning.

Investigators also examined the circumstances surrounding Karrie's movements and eventually questioned her separately from her father.

Karrie eventually disclosed what had happened and told investigators that Lloyd had given her an ultimatum: help him kill Michele or he would kill himself.

On January 24, 2018, investigators moved to arrest Neurauter. He fled and was eventually located on the roof of a five-story parking garage in Princeton, New Jersey, where he threatened to jump.

Police tackled him before he could jump and took him into custody.

Neurauter was initially charged with first-degree murder and other offenses.

Rather than proceed to trial, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, first-degree custodial interference and second-degree conspiracy in October 2018. During his plea, he admitted that he had coerced Karrie into helping him and acknowledged his role in Michele's death.

Neurauter was sentenced in December 2018 to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The prosecution established two major factors behind the murder: the prolonged custody dispute and Neurauter's financial circumstances following the divorce.

Neurauter told the court that he killed Michele because he believed he had failed to obtain custody of their youngest daughter. Prosecutors also said he was under considerable financial pressure, including substantial credit-card debt and approximately $6,000 per month in child-support and maintenance payments.

Neurauter also attempted to benefit financially from Michele's death. Investigators learned that he sought information about her life-insurance policy, which had a payout of approximately $260,000.

His daughter Karrie pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter for her involvement. She was sentenced to one to three years in prison and was released on parole in January 2020. Prosecutors believed Lloyd had exerted significant psychological control over her.

Michele's death was initially classified as a suicide, but the suspicious ligature injury and forensic examination ultimately changed the determination to homicide.

The case was later featured on 48 Hours in an episode titled Karrie's Choice, which examined the murder, the custody dispute and the circumstances surrounding Karrie's involvement.

• Corning Police Department
• New York State Police
• Steuben County District Attorney's Office
• Steuben County Court
• CBS News / 48 Hours
• Oxygen
• WENY
• Spectrum News