On Tuesday, the trial began for a Wisconsin woman who allegedly killed her disabled friend in 2018 by poisoning her with eye drops.
According to WTMJ, prosecutors said Jessy Kurczewski, 39, was motivated by greed when she killed Lynn Hernan, 61, as she stole nearly $290,000 from her over time. While the defense claimed Hernan was depressed, self-medicating with alcohol, and had medications in her system when she died, prosecutors claim Kurczewski killed Hernan with eye drops.
Kurczewski Staged Crime Scene to Mislead Investigators into Thinking it was an Overdose
The 39-year-old has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing her of defrauding Hernan of nearly $300,000 before killing her by dumping six bottles of Visine into her water bottle.
"She finally gave that water bottle, knowing it had, in the defendant's estimation, six bottles of Visine to Lynn Hernan, knowing it could kill her, and walks out of that condo unit, closes the door, and goes shopping on Lynn's dime," Assistant District Attorney Randy Sitzberger said.
Hernan's death was initially treated as an overdose. Hernan, who had health issues for several years, was found unresponsive with medication crushed on her chest and prescription bottles nearby, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
However, an autopsy revealed that she was killed by tetrahydrozoline — and there was so much of the decongestant in her blood that it could not have come from applying it to her eyes.
Kurczewski Accused of Fraudulently Transferring Funds to Herself
Sitzbeger told the court that because Hernan hated technology and primarily used cash, she was unable to keep up with the purchases Kurczewski was making without her consent. He claimed Kurczewski started stealing from Hernan in 2016.
Investigators later found that Ms Kurczewski had committed nearly $300,000 worth of fraud, according to the criminal complaint, including a $130,204 check that was "transferred fraudulently" from the victim to Kurczewski.
Ms Kurczewski told investigators that she was acting as power of attorney and that Hernan had no immediate family, yet a cousin told authorities it was suspicious that she had left her entire estate to Ms Kurczewski.
Kurczewski Told Cops Hernan was Acting Odd Before Death, Had Concerns She was Suicidal
Kurczewski allegedly told detectives that Hernan had been "acting odd" before her death and she was concerned she was suicidal. However, the former deputy medical examiner who oversaw the case testified that Kurczewski repeatedly called the office asking for Hernan's cause and manner of death, WITI reported.
In 2021, Kurczewski was charged with killing Hernan and stealing from her estate. The trial is expected to last several weeks. She now faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, theft of movable property greater than $100,000 in value, and theft of movable property between $10,000 and $100,000 in value, according to online court records.
