Jessy Kurczewski is a killer from Wisconsin who was convicted of the murder of Lynn Hernan
According to court documents Jessy Kurczewski would pour in six bottles of Visine into the water bottle of Lynn Hernan. Jessy who wanted the murder to look like a suicide would be arrested after the autopsy showed a large amount of tetrahydrozoline which is a chemical found in Visine. It also turned out that Kurczewski acting as a caregiver to Lynn Hernan had stolen nearly $300,000
Jessy Kurczewski would be arrested, convicted and would be sentenced to life in prison
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Jessy Kurczewski Case
A jury on Tuesday convicted a Wisconsin woman of fatally poisoning her beautician friend ‘s water with eye drops and stealing nearly $300,000 from her.
Jessy Kurczewski, 39, of Franklin, told investigators she gave Lynn Hernan a water bottle filled with six bottles of Visine in 2018, according to a criminal complaint. A Waukesha County jury found her guilty Tuesday of first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of theft in connection with Hernan’s death, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Kurczewski’s attorneys did not speak with reporters following the verdict.
Hernan was found dead in her Pewaukee condo in October 2018 with crushed medication on her chest. According to a criminal complaint, Kurczewski called police and said her friend wasn’t conscious or breathing. Kurczewski said she was a family friend and had been checking on Hernan daily. She had said there was a possibility Hernan was suicidal.
The Waukesha County medical examiner ruled Hernan’s death a homicide after discovering tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient in Visine, in Hernan’s system.
When investigators told Kurczewski that Hernan was poisoned and the scene was staged to look like a suicide, she said it was what Hernan wanted and she must have staged her own suicide, according to the complaint. Kurczewski later told investigators she brought Hernan a water bottle loaded with six bottles’ worth of Visine, according to the complaint.
Detectives also eventually concluded Kurczewski stole $290,000 from Hernan.
Kurczewski is set to be sentenced Dec. 7. The homicide charge carries a mandatory life sentence. The theft charges each carry a maximum five years in prison.
Jessy Kurczewski News
A Wisconsin woman now faces life behind bars after a jury found her guilty of lacing her friend’s water with eye drops and stealing almost $300,000 from her in 2018.
The Waukesha County jury convicted Jessy Kurczewski, 39, of first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of felony theft Tuesday, per The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Police found Lynn Hernan, a woman in her 60s, dead in her recliner amidst “a large amount of crushed medication on her chest and a plate directly to the left of her with a large amount of what appeared to be crushed up medication still on the plate,” according to a criminal complaint previously obtained by PEOPLE
Police had first completed a wellness check following a 911 call from Kurczewski describing her friend as “unconscious and not breathing” on October 3, 2018.
Police first suspected that Hernan had died of an overdose, but three months later, the Waukesha County medical examiner determined that she had died from a fatal dose of Tetrahydrozoline, the main ingredient in eyedrops, according to the complaint.
Kurczewski, who was arrested in the summer of 2019, switched her story to police multiple times, law enforcement alleged in the complaint.
Kurczewski said Hernan “‘was ‘known’ for eye drops and that she purchased them in great volume and there would be bottles and boxes from eye drops all over the residence,” according to the criminal complaint.
She also suggested that Hernan “staged her own suicide with the crushed pills because Kurczewski maintained that she did not,” the investigator alleged in the complaint.
Then she told police that she had seen Hernan make herself a cocktail of Visine and vodka just one day before her death, and that the woman in her 60s “had been trying to kill herself” with the cocktail and “would try different doses in water bottles or vodka” to find the lethal dosage, according to the complaint.
And then, Kurczewski’s story changed yet again, according to investigators who alleged in the complaint that the woman then said she had in fact given Hernan a water bottle containing six bottles of Visine at the woman’s behest, according to the complaint. Kurczewski also claimed she gave her friend the deadly drink only after arguing for one hour about how much she didn’t want to do it.
Law enforcement’s continued investigation into Kurczewski’s finances, per the complaint, also revealed that she had transferred more than $100,000 of Hernan’s savings into her own account and that her spending had shot up as she had gotten closer to the older woman.
During her murder trial prosecutors argued that “Lynn Hernan became worth more dead than alive” to Kurczewski, ABC News reported.
“The defendant betrayed Lynn out of greed,” Waukesha County Deputy District Attorney Abbey Nickolie said after the verdict, per the outlet. “This case highlighted the financial vulnerability of the victim and what a person would do to get what they want.”
Jessy Kurczewski’s lawyers did not give a statement to reporters after the verdict, according to the Associated Press.
But during opening statements in October, one of her lawyers, Pablo Galaviz, told the jury that Hernan’s death could easily be explained by her penchant for eye drops and that Kurczewski was in no way tied to her death, ABC News reported.
Hernan, he said, per the outlet “just liked vodka. She also liked Visine. I have no idea why.”
Jessy Kurczewski’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 7, per the AP. The homicide conviction carries a mandatory life sentence.
https://people.com/woman-found-guilty-of-murder-with-eye-drops-8402472
Jessy Kurczewski Sentencing
Jessy Kurczewski has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of extended supervision after 30 years in the eye drops homicide death of her friend.
Kurczewski, of Franklin, was also sentenced to the maximum additional 10 years in prison for her two theft convictions ― five years for each ― to be served consecutive to the life sentence.
This means she is not eligible for parole for 40 years.
During the sentencing hearing Friday in Waukesha County Circuit Court, Judge Jennifer Dorow said her goal with the sentence was to have Kurczewski eligible for parole around the age of 80 years old.
Kurczewski, 40, faced mandatory life in prison after she was convicted Nov. 14 of first-degree intentional homicide in the killing of her friend Lynn Hernan with Visine eye drops.
She was also convicted of two felony theft charges of less than $100,000 but more than $10,000 with each charge carrying a maximum of five years in prison plus five years of extended supervision. She received the maximum sentence for both counts.
In addition to the prison time, Kurczewski was ordered to pay over $386,600 in restitution with an escrow account to be set up for any money earned through interviews, book deals, movies or documentaries about the case.
Dorow said she thinks Kurczewski has “very real potential” to sell her story.
“Justice has been served in the sentencing of Jessy Kurczewski,” Assistant District Attorney Randy Sitzberger said, adding the sentence “reflects the severity of this crime” and shows taking a life won’t be tolerated.
Defense Attorney Russell Jones said Kurczewski “plans to vigorously appeal” ― she has 20 days to submit her appeal of the court’s decision.
During a lengthy statement before sentencing, Kurczewski said her previous attorneys were not effective and she claimed she didn’t get a fair trial. Since June 2021, eight attorneys have withdrawn from representing Kurczewski.
“I will not stop fighting,” she said, adding she doesn’t have faith in the justice system but does have faith in God. “As God as my witness, this case is far from over.”
Signs in support of “our Lynnie,” saying “we love you and miss you,” accompanied a large poster-sized photo of Hernan placed on an easel at the proceedings on April 5.
“Jessy cruelly murdered my friend Lynn Hernan,” James Kelliher told the court. “I believe Jessy is pure evil.”
Anthony Pozza, a friend of Hernan who previously said he thought of Hernan as more of an aunt, said he hopes Kurczewski spends time in reflection, saying the family wants closure and healing.
“I hope you know your charade is up and you will never fool anyone again,” he said, signing his statement “the Pozzas and family.”
Following the sentencing, Pozza said he was “extremely satisfied” with the outcome and looks forward to “lay Lynn to rest the way she would want” once the family has her remains ― Dorow ordered Kurczewski’s mother, Jennifer Flower, to turn over the cremated remains of Hernan to the District Attorney’s office in 48 hours.
Pozza said the family will likely plan a memorial over the summer to honor Hernan.
Two people spoke on Kurczewski’s behalf ― her mother and a friend.
Kathleen McCarthy met Kurczewski while in prison.
“She was known as the Visine killer,” McCarthy said, saying some treated her as a “disease.”
However, McCarthy said she and Kurczewski became “more like grandma and granddaughter,” calling Kurczewski “a caring and giving person.”
Flower said, “this has been an extremely hard five years.” She said Hernan was like family to her and Jessy.
“The one thing I am sure of (is) Jessy did not kill Lynn,” she said.
Dorow shares her thoughts during sentencing
When Hernan was found dead in her Pewaukee condo in October 2018, she had various medications in her system, including a chemical found in Visine called tetrahydrozoline, toxicology reports said. The Waukesha County Medical Examiner labeled the death a homicide.
Dorow called this an “unusual” case due to the length of the investigation and the fact that the poison was in an over-the-counter product. She believes Kurczewski “banked on” no one testing for the tetrahydrozoline.
“I think you were using it to control Lynn Hernan,” Dorow said during her statements before sentencing. “Do I believe this was a suicide? Absolutely not.”
Dorow said Kurczewski’s story of events had a lot of holes and she has a pattern of taking advantage of people.
“You took away future memories, birthdays, luncheons, phone calls,” Dorow said. “I think you thought you were a very good thief and could get away with even more.”
In closing, Dorow said everyone has some redeeming qualities, and that included Kurczewski. But she also let her opinion be known about the facts of this case.
“I think you’re completely diabolical,” Dorow said. “You have evil in your heart.