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A jury has determined that a woman in Waukesha County, Minnesota is guilty of using eye drops to poison her beautician.
Jessy Kurczewski, 39 years old, was being tried for murder due to her involvement in the death of her friend Lynn Hernan, who was 62 years old.
According to the
The court took a break and reconvened on Tuesday, during which the jury spent almost four hours deliberating before reaching a verdict of guilt for the defendant on one charge of first-degree intentional homicide and two charges of stealing movable property valued at over $10,000 but less than $100,000.
According to the prosecutors, Kurczewski took around $300,000 from the beautician without permission.
As Judge Jennifer Dorow read the verdict at the Waukesha County Courthouse, Kurczewski was seen crying. He could potentially receive a life sentence for the homicide charge and an extra 10 years for the theft charges, with each charge carrying a maximum sentence of five years.
According to court records, her hearing to determine her sentence is set for 1:30pm on December 7th.
At a press conference after the trial, Assistant District Attorney Abbey Nickolie expressed gratitude to the witnesses and jurors for their contributions. She stated that her office was dedicated to achieving justice for a life that was unlawfully ended.
“The accused was driven by greed to betray Lynn,” she added. “This particular case exposed the victim’s financial fragility and the lengths someone will go to in order to satisfy their desires.”
At the conference, Anthony Pozza, a close friend of Ms Hernan, also delivered a speech alongside the deputy district attorney.
He referred to his “aunty” as a sociable person who was the center of most social gatherings, rather than a solitary individual. He stated that he had been seeking justice for five years since Ms. Hernan’s death in 2018.
He stated that she possessed qualities of empathy, modesty, and great generosity.
The criminal complaint states that authorities responded to Ms. Hernan’s condominium on October 3, 2018 following a 911 call from Kurczewski.
Officials were informed by Kurczewski that her friend was unresponsive and not breathing. Upon arrival, an officer noted a significant quantity of crushed medication on Ms Hernan’s chest and on a nearby table. Additionally, multiple prescription bottles were discovered in close proximity to Ms Hernan.
Initially, authorities believed that the victim had taken too much of her medication. However, the Waukesha County medical examiner’s office stated in January 2019 that the victim had a lethal amount of tetrahydrozoline, the primary component found in eye drops, in her system.
Therefore, the medical examiner determined that Ms. Hernan’s cause of death was homicide.
Source: the-independent.com
