5 chilling details about Lynn Hernan’s murder

The murder of Lynn Hernan sent chills in the city of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, after she was found dead on an armchair. When the authorities arrived, they found a lot of medication scattered all over the floor near the body.

The daughter of one of Hernan's close freinds, Jessy Kurczewski, used to look after her, considering her age and declining health. Kurczewski was the one who made the 911 call on October 2, 2018.

The murder of Lynn Hernan looked like a case of suicide initially, until authorities discovered some chilling details.

The murder of Lynn Hernan is documented in season 37, episode 27 of 48 Hours, titled Death by Eyedrops. The episode aired on November 17, 2024, on Investigation Discovery. Viewers can also stream the episode on CBS and Paramount Plus.

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5 key details about Lynn Hernan's murder

1) Lynn Hernan was killed by her caretaker

Jessy Kurczewski was the caretaker of Hernan (Image via Pexels)

Jessy Kurczewski was the daughter of Hernan's close friend, who had been a frequent visitor in her house. Kurczewski used to aid her with daily activities, including shopping and paying bills. She was the first person, who informed the authorities about her discovery.

As per her story, she went out of the house to run errands, on the day of the murder. However, upon rigorous investigation and repeated interviewing, she revealed being involved in the crime.

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2) Lynn Hernan was killed by Jessy Kurczewski with eye drops

Hernan was killed with tetrahydrozoline (Image via Pexels)

After Hernan's autopsy reports came, Detective Chris Kohl revealed that the victim's body had large quantities of tetrahydrozoline. This is a chemical compound that is generally found in Visine eye drops, used to treat eye irritation and redness.

Kurczewski revealed that, on the morning of October 2, 2018, she gave Hernan a bottle of water mixed with six bottles of Visine. Overdose of tetrahydrozoline is what killed Lynn Hernan.

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3) Jessy Kurczewski had a past criminal history

Jessy Kurczewski was an ex-convict (Image via Pexels)

Upon realizing that most of Kurczewski's stories were fabricated, the investigators decided to look into her criminal history, which left them surprised.

As per CBS, investigators from the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department found that Kurczewski was an ex-convict. She was incarcerated in 2016, with charges of theft and forgery.

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4) Jessy Kurczewski had stolen over $290,000 from Lynn Hernan

Jessy Kurczewski had stolen over $ 290,000 from Hernan (Image via Pexels)

Lynn Hernan had suffered from financial constraints stretching for years until in 2014 she inherited $250,000 after her mother's death. With Hernan's declining health, Kurczewski's visits to her home became more frequent. Throughout that time, Hernan's caretaker kept on stealing money from her.

When the detectives decided to look at the victim's bank details, they found that most of her assets were shifted to Kurczewski bank's account, or the ones she could access. Reported by CBS, the detectives revealed that Kurczewski had stolen over $290,000 from Hernan.

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5) Jessy Kurczewski was charged with lifetime imprisonment for the murder

Jessy Kurczewski received lifetime imprisonment (Image via Pexels)

Jessy Kurczewski was put on trial and it was on December 7, 2023, when she was charged with first-degree homicide. As per a Fox 6 article, published on April 5, 2024, she was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, without any parole for the next 40 years.

Judge Dorow had reduced her sentence to 10 years, but her theft charges again made it equivalent.

Kurczewski was set with restitution for $380,000, added with $16,000 covering the cost of state witness during the trial. She is serving her time in prison at Waukesha County, in the state of Wisconsin, United States.

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