A Wisconsin woman was found guilty on Tuesday of poisoning her disabled “friend” with eye drops and stealing nearly $300,000 from her.
A jury deliberated for seven hours on Monday and another four hours Tuesday morning before finding that Jessy Kurczewski, 39, killed beautician Lynn Hernan in 2018 and staged the scene to look like a suicide, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Hernan’s death was initially treated as an overdose, after she was found dead with crushed medications on her chest and prescription medications nearby, CrimeOnline previously reported. But an autopsy determined that she died from tetrahydrozoline poisoning — an eye decongestant found in over-the-counter eyedrops — and there was too much of the drug in Hernan’s system to have come from using it in her eyes.
Kurczewski was arrested in 2021 and charged with first degree intentional homicide and two counts of theft of movable property valued between $10,000 and $100,000.
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Prosecutors claimed Kurczewski began stealing from Hernan in 2016 and had allegedly taken control of Hernan’s estate, although investigators were suspicious that she had not done so legally.
The defense claimed Hernan was depressed and suicidal, claims that were countered by family members who said she was vibrant and friendly despite her disability from multiple health issues.
Sentencing has been scheduled for December 7. Kurczewski faces a mandatory life sentence on the homicide charge and a maximum five years each on the theft charges.
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