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Relatives of victim, suspect speak out

Homicide cases are grueling processes that can have devastating effects on the families of both the accused and the victim. Both Glenn Jackson’s sister and Michael Krauser’s estranged wife spoke with the Sun-Gazette after Jackson’s preliminary hearing on Friday.

Carolyn Krauser, estranged wife

Christina Dailey, victim’s friend

Things have been difficult for Carolyn Krauser since her estranged husband first went missing on Feb. 4, though the pair was separated.

Carolyn said she still has good memories of Michael, and she was the one who first alerted authorities to the fact that he was missing.

“Regardless of what happened between us, he didn’t deserve to die like that,” Carolyn said.

She said she does not believe Jackson’s claims that his actions were self-defense.

Emotions have been running high for Carolyn

“I’m sorry, I just, I haven’t been dealing with this well,” she said, as she wiped tears from her eyes.

She said she has been very stressed lately and was thankful to have friends to care for her.

For Carolyn, one of the most difficult parts to accept about the case is how Michael’s body was buried beneath the dirt in the basement of his good friend’s home.

“Glenn and Mike, those two were together all the time. They were inseparable,” Carolyn said.

Christina Dailey, who knew Krauser well, agreed.

“Whatever happened between them, they should have just let it go. They were always friends; you always saw them hanging out together,” Dailey said.

Dailey remembers Krauser as someone who “was like a father to us, and like a grandfather to my kids.”

She does not believe Jackson’s self-defense claims.

“There’s no reason to do that to someone. He didn’t deserve to die that way, to be buried that way,” Dailey said.

Deirdre Jackson, suspect’s sister

Though her brother is accused of a horrible crime, Glenn Jackson’s sister stands by the man she described as “calm, cool, collected and caring.”

Jackson is a very intelligent man who loves to fish, loves children and has a big heart, according to Deirdre Jackson.

Deirdre and her family drove 24 hours from Louisiana to be present at the hearing. She took a moment to speak about some of the struggles her family has faced since a body was discovered buried in the basement of what Deirdre remembers as “our family home.”

“We are a very close knit family. We talk to each other, we love each other,” Deirdre said.

“I know my brother, and he is not a criminal,” she added.

The Glenn Jackson Deirdre remembers is a caring man who could be misguided by his desire to help others.

“He wanted to take care of everyone. He would open his home to people. Everyone knew if you had nowhere to sleep that night, you could stay with Glenn,” Deirdre said.

After charges were filed against Glenn, several neighbors came forward to recount times that he had let people live in his home for free, when they had nowhere else to stay. However, neighbors also remembered Glenn as someone who struggled with substance abuse.

Deirdre refuted these claims.

“He certainly may have drank from time to time, and everybody makes some poor choices now and then. But I don’t believe he had a problem,” she said.

Deirdre said her and her family were trying to help Glenn as much as possible. She mentioned he has been praying and attending church during his incarceration.

Authorities did an extensive, weeklong search of Glenn’s home, looking for any piece of evidence that might explain the night of Feb. 11, when Jackson allegedly hit Krauser with an ashtray, stabbed him with a sword and buried his body in a crawlspace below the Jackson family home.

Deirdre said that neighbors and friends have been volunteering their efforts to clean up what she described as “just a huge mess.”

“There were holes cut into the mattresses, everything was turned over, every door rifled through. Things have been thrown everywhere, and the place is really going to be a lot of work to fix,” Deirdre said.

Deirdre, a nurse, mentioned she has to be back in Louisiana for work on Sunday. She said she plans to attend as many of Glenn’s court dates as she can, to support her brother.

“We are a family that sticks together and we’re going to try and see this through. give him what support we can,” Deirdre said.

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