A 39-year-old woman was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and theft following a jury deliberation in Waukesha County court, according to ABC News.
The conviction relates to the 2018 death of 62-year-old Lynn Hernan. Jessy Kurczewski had been accused of spiking Hernan’s water bottle with a fatal dose of tetrahydrozoline, the main ingredient in her eye drops, per ABC News. Additionally, she was charged with defrauding nearly $300,000 from Hernan.
Kurczewski had pleaded not guilty to the charges of intentional homicide and felony theft, the outlet reported.
#JessyKurczewski sobbed in court as she was found #GUILTY murdering #LynnHernan by mixing a fatal dose of eye drops into her drink. Kurczewski is set to be sentenced on December 7th.#CourtTV What do YOU think? ⚖️👇 pic.twitter.com/Ul1iC5yGY5
— Court TV (@CourtTV) November 14, 2023
The case was initially declared a drug overdose after Hernan was found unconscious with apparent crushed medication on her chest, the outlet noted. Kurczewski allegedly reported to police that Hernan had been suicidal due to health issues. (RELATED: REPORT: Man Was Allegedly Fatally Poisoned Over $30 Million Inheritance — Now Family Says It Was A Scam)
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Kurczewski stood to gain financially from Hernan’s death, as she was a beneficiary of Hernan’s will. The defense, on the other hand, contended that Hernan was not poisoned by Kurczewski, suggesting Hernan’s own habits with vodka and Visine, CBS added.
“The defendant betrayed Lynn out of greed. This case highlighted the financial vulnerability of the victim and what a person would do to get what they want,” Waukesha County Deputy District Attorney Abbey Nickolie told reporters, according to ABC News.
Kurczewski now faces a life sentence in prison with an additional 10 years of imprisonment per each count of theft, according to CBS News. She will be sentenced on Dec. 7.