ROCHESTER, N.Y. — James Krauseneck has been found guilty on Monday of second-degree murder for killing his wife with an ax in Brighton 40 years ago.

Second-degree murder was the only charge he faced. The jury read the guilty verdict just before 11 a.m. at the Hall of Justice.

The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office said James killed his wife, Cathy Krauseneck, with one swing of an ax as she slept inside their home on Del Rio Drive in Brighton on February 19, 1982.

The jury started their deliberations late last week, after asking for some read-backs. James claimed all along that he was at work at the time of his wife’s death and that another person killed Cathy. Here is the reaction from Cathy’s sister, Anett Sclossher, as she and her family left the courtroom.

“We did it, we did it, justice for Cathy. May my family be finally able to heal,” Sclossher said. “This has affected us for 40 years. We have been dealing with pain and anguish over this man and we saw him walk away in handcuffs and that’s what we wanted. And I can not thank these two people enough right here and the investigative team for doing this for us, this is unbelievable.”

Krauseneck is being held in custody under no bail, no release. He is considered a flight risk and will be sentenced on November 7 at 2 p.m.