US Woman Convicted For Lethal Eye Drops Plot Against Friend

A 39-year-old woman, Jessy Kurczewski of Wisconsin, US, was found guilty by a Waukesha County jury of lacing a friend's water bottle with eye drops with the intent of murder and two counts of felony theft, stealing almost $300,000 from the victim in 2018. 

The charges stemmed from the 2018 death of a 62-year-old woman, Lynn Hernan who was found dead in her Pewaukee residence. This was reported to police by Jessy Kurczewski, who was the caregiver and friend of the deceased Lynn Hernan. 

Background of the Case

On Tuesday, a Wisconsin woman, Jessy Kurczewski (39) was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide for allegedly lacing a lethal dose of eye drops in her friend's water bottle and two counts of felony theft by a Waukesha County jury. 

Additionally, Kurczewski was also convicted for allegedly defrauding the victim of almost $300,000 since preceding two years of the victim's death. It was revealed during the investigation that investigators opened Kurczewski's finances, which revealed she had transferred more than $100,000 of the victim's savings into her account. 

Kurcewski, who was also the caretaker of the victim on October 3, 2018, called 911 to report her friend Hernan being found "unconscious and not breathing" in her living room on a recliner, where there were crushed medications found on her chest as well as on a plate placed left side on the table. 

Investigators initially suspected Hernan's death by overdose of medication, but three months later, upon receiving the medical report indicating a fatal dose of Tetrahydrozoline, a chemical most commonly found in eye drops, investigators reopened the case. 

Reopening of the Case

Kurcewski, who initially gave her statement upon her friend's and caregiver's deaths as her health condition might have led her to suicidal thoughts, was once again investigated by the cops, where she was observed constantly changing her statements. 

Upon suspicion, Kurcewski was charged formally in June 2021. However, Kurcewski presented a plea for not being guilty of defrauding on two counts of felony theft and first-degree intentional homicide. 

Prosecutors outlined Kurcewski in the names of recipients of Hernan's will, asserting "Hernan became worth more dead than alive" for the defendant Kurcewski. 

In defense, Kurcewski alleged that Hernan was known for having too many eye drops and staged her own suicide will pills lying around her house. Kurcewski also alleged that Hernan was trying to kill herself and would ask Kurcewski to give her a lethal amount of Vodka and Visine in her water bottles. 

As the toxicology and other medical examinations provided "vital evidence", the Waukesha County jury gave the verdict against Kurcewski despite her multiple tries to bend the story multiple times staging her murder into a suicide as an example of what a person can do to get what they want and saying how the case highlighted the financial vulnerability of the victim. 

The court has scheduled Kurcewski's sentencing for December 7, while the homicide conviction carries a mandatory life sentence.

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