By Gina Martinez
A Ridgewood man who killed his grandmother and left her rotting corpse in the house for months has been sentenced to five to 15 years in prison, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Wednesday.
According to the DA, 31-year-old Christopher Fuhrer pleaded guilty to manslaughter and concealment of a human corpse. Brown said Fuhrer killed his 85-year-old grandmother, Erika Kraus-Breslin, then wrapped her body in garbage bags. The district attorney said Fuhrer kept the decomposing human remains in an upstairs bedroom for more than four months.
According to the criminal complaint by the DA’s office, Fuhrer lived with his grandmother and was her sole caregiver for five years in their 67-08 65th St. home. In May 2016, Kraus-Breslin died from asphyxiation with neck compression, and over the next 4 1/2 months Fuhrer kept the body of his grandmother in an upstairs bedroom of the two-story, semi-detached home trying to cover up the smell of her decomposing body, the complaint said. Her body was discovered when a relative, concerned after not hearing from Kraus-Breslin, had her lawyer call the police to check on her, the court document said.
Brown called the case very disturbing.
“The victim died from asphyxiation with neck compression,” he said. “Instead of contacting the authorities upon her death, the defendant wrapped the elderly woman’s body in plastic garbage bags and stored her remains in a bedroom. As her body continued to decompose, emitting a foul stench, the defendant tried to cover up the smell with air freshener and paint. He has now admitted he caused his grandmother’s death and will be incarcerated for a lengthy term of imprisonment.”
Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmart
