NY man admits killing son for $700K in insurance money; wife's 1991 death also being examined

Authorities say an upstate New York man has admitted killing his son in an insurance scheme that netted him $700,000.

Seneca County District Attorney Barry Porsch said Wednesday that 53-year-old Karl Karlsen's guilty plea to second-degree murder came as a surprise a day before his trial was set to open.

Karlsen was charged with murder and insurance fraud in the death of his son Levi. Prosecutors say Karlsen killed the 23-year-old in 2008 by toppling a truck on him as he worked underneath. Karlsen was sole beneficiary of Levi's insurance policy.

The sentence he faces wasn't initially released.

Investigators have also been reviewing the 1991 death of Karlsen's former wife, Christina Karlsen. She died in a Calaveras County, Calif., fire that also resulted in an insurance payout. Karlsen has denied causing her death.