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Ronald Rayher, 69, was also found guilty of evidence tampering by a Saratoga County jury after just a few hours of deliberations on Friday, May 16, in the 2024 death of Thomas Krider.
Krider, a well-known Elvis tribute artist who performed under the stage name TJ Greene, was found dead inside Rayher’s Milton home on April 9, 2024, as Daily Voice reported.
The two men had a long-standing relationship, and both the prosecution and defense acknowledged their sexual roleplay was consensual, NewsChannel 13 reports. But prosecutors argued that Rayher’s actions went far beyond acceptable risk.
An investigation found that Rayher picked up Krider in Ticonderoga and brought him to his home, where he placed a surgical mask on Krider and applied chloroform—a chemical he had manufactured himself—to the mask, prosecutors said. Krider died during the encounter.
Prosecutors described Rayher’s conduct as “reckless and irresponsible,” emphasizing that as a trained chiropractor with a background in chemistry, he should have understood the life-threatening dangers of chloroform. They also pointed to a text allegedly sent to Krider’s phone after his death as an effort to cover up what had happened.
The tampering charge stemmed from Rayher removing identifying materials and disposing of the chloroform bottles to conceal evidence.
Jurors deliberated for just a few hours Friday after receiving instructions on the legal definitions of manslaughter and evidence tampering. The judge emphasized they must find that Rayher’s conduct created an “unjustifiable risk” and deviated grossly from what a reasonable person would do.
Krider’s death stunned the Ticonderoga community, where he also worked as a tour guide at the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour. Loved ones remembered his joy, generosity, and passion for performance on social media.
“TJ was one of the most genuinely kind people I’ve ever known,” friend Emmalee Stark wrote on Facebook. “Everything he did was led with love in his heart, and he had such a joy for everything he did, whether that was hanging out with the timber town crew or belting out an Elvis tune.”
Rayher is scheduled to be sentenced in July.
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