Berks Case Still Cold: Who Killed Lousia Tseng Krenzel?
The 48-year-old Taiwan native was shoveling snow at her Long Lane home in rural Pike Township on Jan. 22, 2014, troopers said in a release.
At about 8 p.m. that night, she was found dead in the driveway by her estranged husband Jules Krenzel, reported the Reading Eagle that month.
She'd suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including one through the heart. More bullets were found embedded in the garage door, about five feet from where Louisa had been standing, the newspaper added.
Investigators say she was likely shot hours before her discovery. The Eagle report notes that Louisa's body was frozen when Jules discovered her, and state troopers now say she likely died between 4 and 8 p.m.
State police spoke with Jules Krenzel, then 61, at the Reading station and later obtained warrants to search his home and vehicles, the Eagle reported.
The widower was charged, but not with his wife's murder.
A July 2013 domestic incident at the Krenzel home ended with Berks sheriff's deputies serving Jules a protection-from-abuse order on Louisa's behalf, per the Allentown Morning Call. The terms of that order required Jules to hand over any firearms to police.
He gave them two rifles and two pistols. Nearly a year later, authorities apparently discovered that he was never legally allowed to own the guns. Jules Krenzel had been convicted on felony drug charges in 1977, per the Morning Call, which preempted him from firearm ownership under Pennsylvania law.
Jules pleaded guilty to four gun charges — all felonies — in October 2014 and was sentenced to two-and-a-half to 21 years in prison, WFMZ reported at the time. He appears to have been released and does not come up on a search of state inmate rosters as of 2023.
Details of the couple's marriage emerged as Jules' legal woes played out across local headlines. The pair had been married for 10 years and had an 11-year-old son, but by the end of Louisa's life, Jules was only permitted to visit the Long Lane home during custody exchanges, reports claimed.
Still, no official suspect ever emerged in Louisa's murder. Neighbors reported sighting an older, white pickup truck in the area the day of her killing, but to date, the driver has not been identified.
Eight years later, anyone with information is still asked to call the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-472-8477 or visit the Crime Stoppers official webpage.
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