A Seneca County man was indicted Thursday on charges of second-degree murder and insurance fraud. The maximum sentence on the murder charges is 25 years to life.
Karl Karlsen is accused of intentionally causing the death of his son Levi in 2008 by causing a motor vehicle to fall on top of him. Investigators say Karlsen committed insurance fraud.
Karlsen and his wife said they had left to go to a family event and found their son trapped when they returned.
Deputies started investigating when they found out Karlsen had taken a sizable insurance policy out on his son just days before the incident. The policy named Karlsen as the sole beneficiary.
Investigators are also now looking into the death of Karlsen's first wife in California in 1991.
Thursday's indictment resulted from a joint investigation conducted by the Seneca County Sheriff's Department, New York State Police, New York State Department of Financial Services and Seneca County District Attorney's Office.
Karlsen will be arraigned in Seneca County Court on December 10 at 2:00 p.m.
