A retired New York chiropractor has been arrested for killing an Elvis impersonator with chloroform.
Elvis Impersonator murdered during intimate encounter
69-year-old Ronald Rayher reportedly killed Thomas Krider, 40, while the pair were having consensual sex.
Rayher allegedly tied up Krider, then repeatedly administered a lethal quantity of chloroform more than once during their intimate encounter, which resulted in the Elvis impersonator’s untimely demise on April 5.
Initially, Rayher appears to attempted to cover up Krider’s death, as he removed the victim’s belongings from the crime scene, according to Times Union.
However he must not have been clear on how to get rid of the body, because four days later, Rayher turned himself in Saratoga County Sheriff and confessed that Krider’s corpse was rotting in his basement.
Rayher was detained by police and is facing charges of manslaughter in the second degree and manipulation of evidence.
How did an Elvis impersonator die from chloroform?
According to authorities, the two men had been acquainted for a number of years, and both the sexual act and the use of chloroform were reportedly mutual.
Investigators are unsure about how Rayher got his hands on the illegal anesthetic, but Saratoga County Undersheriff Jeffrey Brown said the substance “is not difficult to make.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, chloroform is a colorless liquid that rapidly evaporates into a gas, and could be toxic if inhaled or swallowed.
Chloroform was used as an anesthetic in the 1800’s, but had a high fatality rate, and was phased out after the gas anesthesia was invented in the 1930’s.
The substance was found to contain cancer causing properties, and the United States banned its use for anything more than manufacturing in 1976.
Elvis impersonator mourned by wife
Krider was initially reported missing a day after his murder by his wife, Heidi Greene, who said her husband disappeared while going to pick up a box spring for a bed.
Krider, moonlighted as an Elvis impersonator and also held a job as a guide at a local Star Trek exhibit in Ticonderoga, which boasts a complete replica of the original USS Enterprise’s bridge.
“He was always so trusting that, even if he met someone one time, they were a friend,” Greene said about her husband.
“He was my whole world, my heart, my soul,” she added. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without him.”
Rayher was formally charged on Wednesday and has remained in custody at the Saratoga County Jail with his bail set at $250,000. His arraignment is slated for May 21.
