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Eye drops homicide trial fraud testimony
Fraud, finances and claims of forgery. That is what the jury heard from the witness stand on Tuesday, Oct. 31 in the Waukesha County eye drops homicide trial.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Fraud, finances and claims of forgery. That is what the jury heard from the witness stand on Tuesday, Oct. 31 in the Waukesha County eye drops homicide trial.
Prosecutors say Jessy Kurczewski poisoned Lynn Hernan with eye drops in 2018 – killing her and stealing her money. On Tuesday, a jailhouse informant testified – so did a beneficiary of Hernan's estate. He wanted to know how a woman who rarely used credit cards ended up with thousands of dollars in debt.
A Cudahy police officer testified he arrested Kurczewski for fraud in fall 2010.
"Recognized the defendant's name as someone who had tried to open an account once before," said Francis Stahl, Cudahy police officer.
Francis Stahl, Cudahy police officer
Using another woman's social security card, energy bill and driver's license to open a credit union account.
"She admitted to attempt to open the account in another person's name," Stahl testified.
Jessy Kurczewski
Kurczewski's history of forgery and financial dealings were the focus of testimony Tuesday.
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"She had full access to accounts, money," said Magdalena Soboniak, who was jailed with Kurczewski in 2022.
Access to Lynn Hernan's accounts – at least that is what a jailhouse informant said. The informant said Kurczewski would use Hernan's money to pay off gambling debts – and bragged she was great at forging documents.
Lynn Hernan
"Could create new identity – not for herself – could do a new identity and years of banking history," Soboniak said.
"I don’t believe those are documents Lynn Hernan wrote," said Anthony Pozza, Hernan's friend and beneficiary.
Pozza said he was skeptical of portions of Hernan's wills and notes about last wishes.
"Why did you not believe they were written by Lynn?" asked Randy Sitzberger, Waukesha County Assistant District Attorney. "Did you find those on your own?"
"No, I was handed them by Jessy Kurczewski," Pozza said.
Prosecutors showed dozens of purported receipts produced by Kurczewski showing Hernan was in serious debt when she died.
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"Talked to her two to three hours and convinced me this was true and racked up all this debt," Pozza said.
Pozza said Hernan told him about a bank lock box that contained thousands of dollars. After Hernan died, Pozza asked Kurczewski about the lock box.
"And she said the box was emptied months ago," Pozza said.
Pozza then retained an attorney and the court removed Kurczewski from Hernan's case. He said he saw Hernan about a month before she died.