Man uses steak knife to kill stepfather during family gathering, Nebraska cops say

A man has been charged with murder after stabbing his stepfather to death during a family gathering, Nebraska police say.

The fatal stabbing occurred Sunday, May 7, at a home in Lincoln, police chief Teresa Ewins said.

Police said 40-year-old Joseph Kruger got into an argument with his stepfather during the gathering. Joseph Kruger is accused of stabbing his stepfather, Mark Kruger, in the torso.

Mark Kruger, 59, died after being taken to a hospital, Ewins said during a news briefing streamed Monday by the Lincoln Journal Star.

Police arrested the stepson at the scene. He was charged with second-degree murder, according to the police chief.

A weapon believed to have been used in the fatal attack, a steak knife, was recovered at the home, Ewins said.

“This is a tragic event for this family, and our hearts go out for them,” the police chief said. “I cant imagine what they’re feeling right now, the loss of a husband and the arrest of a stepson.”

A GoFundMe states Mark Kruger brought joy “to so many people’s lives.”

“Mark was a wonderful man, a father, brother, uncle, papa, friend, second dad to many of us,” the GoFundMe says.

This story was originally published May 8, 2023 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Man uses steak knife to kill stepfather during family gathering, Nebraska cops say."