Wisconsin eye drops homicide trial; Jessy Kurczewski guilty
WAUKESHA, Wis. - A Waukesha County jury found Jessy Kurczewski guilty in the death of Lynn Hernan. Kurczewski was also found guilty of the theft charges against her.
The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for nearly 11 hours across two days.
Kurczewski broke down in tears as the verdict was read in open court.
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Ultimately, the jury determined Kurczewski poisoned Hernan with eye drops. She stole tens of thousands of dollars from Hernan's bank account while she was alive. Kurczewski forced Hernan's signature and took out loans and credit cards in Hernan's name – and stole thousands more from Hernan's estate after she died.
The defense brought in witnesses to testify Hernan was sick and suicidal.
Hernan died in October 2018. At the time, police thought her death was a suicide. It was not until months later when toxicology reports came back and a second beneficiary of Hernan's will started asking financial questions – that the death was ruled a homicide.
Jessy Kurczewski
Anthony Pozza spent every day in the Waukesha County courtroom. He was close friends with Hernan. Kurczewski took money from Hernan's estate that should have gone to him.
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"She was a compassionate, humble and very generous person. She’d give you the shirt off her back if she knew it would look good on you," Pozza said. "When I learned of Lynn’s passing, I immediately knew something was awry and not reality. I thank God every day for the detectives and DA that represented this case."
Anthony Pozza, close friend of Lynn Hernan
"I think we, going into it, believed the financial aspect was the motive for the murder. But our team has discussed this and we really believe the defendant’s own statements in this case were extremely compelling evidence," said Abbey Nickolie, Deputy District Attorney.
The penalty for the homicide charge alone is mandatory life in prison. The sentencing for Kurczewski is set for Dec. 7.
The defense team was invited to speak with the media after the verdict, but they did not show up.
Prosecutors said they have not ruled out additional charges in this case – specifically against Kurczewski's mother.