SENECA COUNTY, N.Y. -- Karl Karlsen, a Seneca County man serving prison time for the 2008 murder of his son, was again denied an appeal, this time by New York's highest court.
Karlsen admitted in 2013 to standing by after his truck fell on Levi Karlsen, who was working underneath the pickup. Levi's death was initially ruled an accident and came a matter of days after Karl took out a $700,000 insurance policy on Levi's life. Police later determined that Karl Karlsen had kicked away the jack lifting the truck in the air.
Convicted of murder 2nd and sentenced to 15 years behind bars, Karl Karlsen's subsequent appeal was based on grounds he waived his Miranda rights before voluntarily talking to investigators. Karlsen had argued that those statements should be suppressed.
Karlsen has no direct appeal opportunities left in New York state. The Appellate Division in Rochester rejected an appeal in February, while this latest denial came on June 6 in Albany.
Karlsen is now awaiting trial for the death of his first wife, Christina, who died in a California house fire back in 1991. That too was originally labeled accidental, but later determined to be a homicide. Karl Karlsen had taken out a $200,000 life insurance policy on Christina the month before the fire.