'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAHxAAAgEDBQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAQFBhESMVEh/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQL/xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAL/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMJTUGNtbLFCPDRSTRo0kzyHfm5JXrziF+e71OzZGJ5pHFqihmJ2B6pSgKtN/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Dateline's "Far From Spider Lake" presents the 2015 Brewster, Minnesota, killing of Jan Kruse according to confirmed public records, court proceedings, and local media coverage. Jan Kruse, age 40, also referred to as Janette Pigman-Kruse, was killed in her residence with a 12-gauge shotgun and was discovered dead on August 19, 2015.
As she was being fired at, her husband, Chris Kruse, admitted to the police that he was in bed with her. Due to the suspicious manner of death and the initial absence of definite forensic evidence, the early morning shooting initiated a police inquiry, a court hearing, and massive media attention.
The early morning shooting led to a police investigation, court hearing, and high media coverage due to the suspicious cause of death and initial absence of explicit forensic evidence.
Incident and early response
It was Chris Kruse who placed the 911 call, according to Dateline, at approximately 2:39 a.m. Police went to the house and discovered that Jan had died from a single gunshot wound from a shotgun. The daughter, Bailey, told police she had been upset inside the house at one point in the evening, but did not know what specifically had happened. As per Oxygen, she recalled,
"I didn’t really know if I should get out of bed, or just stay in bed, so I kinda stayed in bed. And I texted my mom, like, question marks ‘cause I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do,” Bailey would later report to the police that she heard her father yell, “What the hell?”
Her statements were included in official investigation reports and used in court to explain the evening timeline. Police found a booted back door and a broken basement window at the site. While these are indications of potential entry, investigators said they found no pry marks, footprints, or other signs of forced entry or a break-in.
It is these facts that led the police to probe deeper than the initial solution of what had happened and to investigate all the family members and their immediate friends thoroughly. Dateline presents these facts so viewers can understand the true nature of the investigator's puzzles from the outset.
Background and family context
Jan Kruse and Chris Kruse had been married for approximately 20 years and had two children. The two were brokering the sale of a resort property on Spider Lake in northern Minnesota when Jan was killed, according to Dateline and court documents.
These financial and property transactions were offered at trial as background to provide insight into the family's personal and financial lives. The show does not hypothesize these as proven motives but depicts them in an attempt to justify the state of the house at the time.
The Kruses' friends, relatives, and acquaintances depicted them as family-oriented and committed to their kids. Interviews also feature people who know the family, showing them living their normal lives in their home, in contrast to the lethal event that night.
Through such observations, Dateline offers the viewer a seeming view of home life and social settings without speculating on causation or laying blame.
Investigation and evidence collection
Police initially had a number of possibilities in mind, including an external offender. Police did recover a 12-gauge shotgun that belonged to Chris Kruse's store and was being investigated as the most probable weapon used in the assault. Prosecutors did present evidence that the gun could be used with the fatal wound; however, defense experts did dispute the credibility of the ballistic evidence in court.
These two contradictory narratives of forensic evidence were central to the trial. Chris Kruse's absence of any gunshot residue and lack of concrete physical evidence on him about the shooting were highlighted to illustrate the lack of inference reached by the investigation. The show elaborates on these facts so that the audience is well informed about the investigative process and the limitations of the authorities' available evidence.
Other individuals questioned
Other people associated with the Kruse family were also interviewed by the authorities, such as the daughter's boyfriend, Jeremy Majerus. Dateline and court records indicated Majerus assisted the authorities to the extent of eliminating him as a suspect within a few minutes due to his alibi and assertions.
No one else was publicly identified or charged in relation to the case. Dateline presents this as an attempt to explain the investigation's scope and to downplay the fact that authorities had questioned other potential leads before pursuing the prime suspects.
By explaining who was questioned and ruled out, the segment illustrates the scale of the investigation.
Legal proceedings
Chris Kruse was charged with second-degree murder by a grand jury in March 2019. Prosecutors used financial records, real estate deal negotiations, and other matters to present the family dynamics in court. These were part of the case but not pursued as motivation, but as background information for the jury.
The defense held that there was no direct evidence linking Chris Kruse to the shooting and cited inconclusive ballistic analysis and the lack of forensic markers. The trial during the early months of 2020 consisted of depositions from other witnesses, including forensic experts, police officers, and others. After extensive deliberation, in February 2020, the jury acquitted Chris Kruse of all charges.
No one else was charged or arrested following the case. Dateline highlights the factual record of this timeline, documenting the actual result of the court hearing without assumption.
Post-trial and case status
Following the trial, officials confirmed that there were no active leads in the investigation. During follow-up hearings in court, an agent from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension testified that the case is not an active investigation but is still open.
Dateline reports that the case remains unsolved. There are no other suspects, and no public comments have been seen since the trial's end. That's according to the latest official reports from several reputable sources, including Minnesota local reporting and the BCA.
Dateline's coverage
The "Far From Spider Lake" part is a chronological summary of the Jan Kruse case, distilling known facts, court proceedings, family and community history, and known documents. Dateline employs public records, court transcripts, and interviews with individuals familiar with the case.
The segment does not uncover new information but rather rearranges the facts as presented to give the viewer an overall picture of what happened and what followed legally.
Current status
As of 2025, Jan Kruse's murder is officially unsolved. There have been no additional arrests, and no new developments have been reported by the police yet. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension still has the case coded as open, but not as an active investigation.
Dateline: Far From Spider Lake is an account of the Jan Kruse case, including the incident, the investigative process, the trial, and its status. Information regarding the family, property negotiations, and family dynamics is provided as background and not motivations.
Trending
The incident is maintained in official records and reported cases sans speculation so that the facts are credible based on court documents, police reports, and confirmed local reporting. As long as the case is unsolved, Dateline straightforwardly delivers the facts, and it presents a complete picture of an active case in Brewster, Minnesota.
Also read: Dateline: A Perfect Spring Morning - Everything we know about the latest true crime episode
Reply
