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The murder of Kathy Kraynik in December 2000 shocked not only her community but the whole nation. Kathy was 46 years old when her daughter, Jennifer Jeter (now known as Jennifer Blake), and her boyfriend, Corey Demetrius Jackson, killed her. Kathy’s body was ultimately discovered two weeks later, frozen and wrapped in sheets, with a sock still stuffed in her mouth.
The case is discussed in Season 34, Episode 24 of Snapped titled Jennifer Blake airs on Oxygen on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at 6:00 PM ET. In this episode, learn about the case of a Virginia grandmother who was brutally murdered. The episode explores her disappearance, their investigation, and the household tensions that surfaced during their case.
Five key details about Kathy Kraynik’s murder
1) Mother and daughter estrangement
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According to Virginia Pilot, Kathy Kraynik had a highly complicated relationship with her daughter, Jennifer Jeter. According to Corey Jackson, Jennifer had confided in him about her difficult childhood. She told him about her mother allegedly choking her and threatening her with violence. Jennifer also spoke about her mother accepting money from a man who had fondled her.
These incidents built up over time, causing a deep emotional rift between mother and daughter. Jennifer's anger intensified when Kathy also decided to evict her and testify against her in a child custody case. This tension going on in her life acted as one of the prime factors for killing Kathy Kraynik. Jennifer was filled with an angry storm and thought this would end all her trouble.
2) The murder plan
According to Virginia Pilot, Jennifer had planned the killing for a long time. The killing was preplanned. She informed Jackson that she was going to kill her mother. She mentioned several ways that she could do it: hitting her with a hammer or drowning her. Ultimately, Jennifer decided that strangulation was the best choice.
On the morning of December 11, 2000, Jennifer and Jackson carried out the plan. They knew the best time to attack Kathy Kraynik would be when she woke up for her morning coffee. Jackson hid in Jennifer's room, waiting for a signal. When Kathy entered the kitchen, Jennifer said, "I hate you," which became the signal for Jackson to attack.
Together with Jennifer, they overpowered Kathy. Jackson testified to stuffing Kathy's mouth with a sock in it during a scuffle to muffle her cries, and in so doing, the duo strangulated and suffocated her.
3) Failed efforts to cover up
According to Virginia Pilot, after Kathy Kraynik's death, Jennifer and Jackson tried to cover up the crime. Their first attempt to destroy the evidence was to burn Kathy's body in a metal trash can in the garage. However, the fire produced smoke that spread into the house, making them abort the plan.
Instead, they put Kathy's body in the trunk of Jennifer's car and started driving around, looking for a place to dispose of it. However, they got stuck on a muddy road and had to go to a nearby house for help. Without that hitching, Jennifer and Jackson just dumped Kathy's body into a wooded area in Northampton County, North Carolina.
They would come later to bury the body. Jennifer could not go around Kathy's body again when they returned. Kathy Kraynik's body lay in the woods for two weeks, during which time nothing happened except that it was discovered later by authorities.
4) The discovery of Kathy's body
According to Virginia Pilot, it had been two weeks after Kathy's murder when Kathy's body was found in the remote Northampton County area. She was discovered in sheets and frozen with obvious signs of the vicious attack. According to detectives, a sock had been shoved into Kathy's mouth; this confirmed Jackson's report of the crime.
Kathy's condition confirmed she was suffocated and strangled. The arsonist had attempted to burn Kathy's body, which had failed. Authorities managed to reconstruct the events surrounding Kathy's death, implicating Jennifer and Jackson in her murder.
The finding of Kathy Kraynik's body helped give police evidence to take Jennifer and Jackson into custody. Both of them were convicted of the murder, and further investigations continued to unfold the horrific details of Kathy's death.
5) The legal outcome
Following Kathy Kraynik’s murder and the discovery of her body, Jennifer Jeter and Corey Jackson faced criminal charges. According to Virginia Pilot, Jackson, who had agreed to testify against Jennifer in exchange for a plea deal, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2001. He was sentenced to up to 40 years in prison. Jackson’s testimony provided the necessary evidence for Jennifer’s conviction.
Despite the defense attorney's claim that Jackson was the instigator, Jennifer Jeter was found guilty of first-degree murder at the end of a four-day trial. The jury found that Jennifer planned and executed the murder and Jackson was her accomplice in the murder of her mother. Jennifer was given life imprisonment for the murder of her mother.
For more details on the case, watch Snapped on Oxygen.
