Wisconsin Woman Arrested for Poisoning Her Friend and Robbing Her Blind
Jessy Kurczewski, convicted of homicide and theft, poisoned her friend Lynn Hernan with eye drops and staged it as a suicide. Investigations revealed Kurczewski’s fraudulent activities, including stealing nearly $300,000 from Hernan.
By Beth Snider · November 27, 2023
Jessy Kurczewski, a 39-year-old Wisconsin woman, was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of theft for fatally poisoning her longtime friend, Lynn Hernan, with eye drops and staging her death as a suicide. The incident occurred in 2018, when Kurczewski confessed to putting six bottles of Visine into a water bottle and giving it to Hernan, claiming it was at Hernan’s request due to suicidal thoughts.
A Waukesha grand jury rejected Kurczewski’s account and determined her guilt in the intentional homicide and theft charges. Hernan was discovered dead in her Pewaukee condo on October 3, 2018, with crushed medication on her chest. While Kurczewski appeared to be a caring friend, regularly checking on Hernan, she was, in fact, opening credit cards in Hernan’s name and depleting her bank account. The Waukesha County medical examiner identified tetrahydrozoline, the main ingredient in Visine, in Hernan’s system, confirming her death as a homicide. Kurczewski’s true motives became apparent when investigators discovered that she had stolen nearly $300,000 from Hernan. She had maxed out her credit cards and received substantial checks, including one exceeding $130,000, from Hernan prior to the murder. The prosecution argued that Kurczewski betrayed Hernan out of greed, making Hernan more valuable to her dead than alive.
During the trial, it was revealed that Kurczewski had searched for “household poisons” in her deleted search history, further supporting the premeditated nature of the crime. In an attempt to defend her actions, Kurczewski initially claimed that Hernan had an obsession with eye drops and overdosed. Later, she alleged that Hernan had committed suicide, emphasizing their close, mother-daughter-like relationship. However, the jury and Judge Jennifer Dorow sided with the prosecution’s argument that Kurczewski, motivated by greed, had killed Hernan to defraud her of significant financial assets.
Kurczewski’s defense attorney, Donna Kuchler, maintained that Hernan willingly gave her money because it brought her happiness, framing the relationship as a maternal bond. Nevertheless, the jury found Kurczewski guilty of all charges, emphasizing the financial vulnerability of the victim and the lengths to which Kurczewski went to satisfy her own desires.
The sentencing hearing, scheduled for December 7, will determine Kurczewski’s fate as she faces the consequences of her actions. In the aftermath of the trial, Deputy District Attorney Abbey Nickolie expressed satisfaction with the verdict, stating that the case highlighted the victim’s financial vulnerability and the lengths Kurczewski went to for personal gain. Family friend Anthony Pozza, also a beneficiary of Hernan’s will, expressed relief at the justice served after five years of stress.