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Kathy Kraynik was a 46-year-old woman who was killed by her daughter, Jennifer Jeter-now known as Jennifer Blake-and her boyfriend at the time, Corey Demetrius Jackson, in December 2000. 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 Snapped season 34 episode 24, titled Jennifer Blake, which airs on Oxygen on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at 6:00 pm ET. In this episode, learn of the shocking case of a Virginia grandmother who was murdered. The episode explores her disappearance, their investigation, and the household tensions that surfaced during their case.
Kathy Kraynik's relationship with her daughter
According to Virginia Pilot, before the tragic events of December 2000, Kathy Kraynik was living with her daughter, Jennifer Jeter, and Jennifer's young daughter. Kathy's life was marked by a strained relationship with Jennifer, who had deep-seated issues stemming from childhood.
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Jennifer’s resentment towards her mother had been building for years, and the two had several unresolved conflicts. According to Corey Jackson, who later became a key witness in the case, Kathy had allegedly abused Jennifer when she was younger, including an incident where Kathy reportedly choked her daughter.
Additionally, Jennifer’s anger was compounded by her mother’s plans to evict her and testify against her in a child custody case, which further fueled her resentment. During the weeks when Kathy was murdered, Jennifer shared the intention with Corey Jackson that she wanted to kill her mother.
According to her, she was considering either hammering Kathy or drowning her. Jennifer said she was determined to go ahead with the killing. These were shared with Jackson, who, against his judgment, agreed with Jennifer about committing the crime.
The night of the murder
According to Virginia Pilot, on December 11, 2000, Jennifer spent a night preparing for the morning's murder of Kathy Kraynik. Jennifer and Jackson planned the attack in Jennifer's bedroom. Jennifer had reportedly considered several methods of killing her mother before eventually opting to strangle her.
According to the plan, Kathy was to be attacked in the morning while she was waking up to take her coffee, as usual. Unbeknownst to Kathy, Jackson was hiding in Jennifer's room and was waiting for the signal to join in and participate in the attack.
When Kathy woke up at 5:30 am and went into the kitchen to make herself her morning coffee, Jennifer's plan set off. As per Jackson's testimony, Jennifer's words, "I hate you," were the signal for him to come out and help in the attack. Then, both Jennifer and Jackson attacked Kathy.
Jennifer was emotionally motivated by years of resentment, and Jackson, an accomplice in her plan, reportedly used their combined strength to overpower Kathy, who weighed around 145 pounds. Jackson testified that, during the struggle, he pulled off a sock from his foot and stuffed it into Kathy's mouth to muffle her.
Kathy Kraynik was strangled, and the same was confirmed by the coroner, who determined her death to be a combination of strangulation and suffocation.
Cover-up and discovery of Kathy's body
According to Virginia Pilot, Jennifer and Jackson tried to dispose of Kathy Kraynik after she was murdered. They had planned to burn Kathy's body in a metal trash can in the garage, but that attempt was unsuccessful. The smoke drifted into the house, so they could not carry out their plan.
They had put Kathy's body in the trunk of a car and began driving around, looking for a place to dispose of the body. Their search ended when the car became stuck on a muddy road.
They then went to a nearby house, but ultimately, they dumped Kathy's body in a remote wooded area in Northampton County, North Carolina. Jennifer and Jackson had reportedly planned to return later to bury Kathy's body, but Jennifer could not bring herself to see her mother's body again.
The body was discovered two weeks later in a frozen state and wrapped in sheets. A sock remained lodged in Kathy's mouth as it was when the crime occurred. The authorities soon discovered the events surrounding Kathy Kraynik's death, and Jennifer Blake and Corey Jackson were soon under arrest and charged with her murder.
The aftermath and legal proceedings
Jennifer Blake and Corey Jackson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Kathy Kraynik in 2001. According to Virginia Pilot, Corey Jackson could have received up to 40 years in prison as he was the only person who testified against Jennifer regarding the events that transpired before and after Kathy died.
Jennifer Blake, on the other hand, was convicted of murder in the first degree. Based on the defense attorney's arguments, Jackson was obsessed with her and had caused Kathy Kraynik's death; Jennifer was proven to be guilty by the jury. Jennifer was sent to prison for the rest of her life.
For more details on the case, watch Snapped on Oxygen.
