Meet the key figures in Jessy Kurczewski's 'eye drops' homicide trial
Jessy Kurczewski's homicide trial gets underway Monday in a Waukesha County courtroom.
Kurczewski, 39, faces a count of first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of felony theft in the 2018 death of a Pewaukee woman.
Prosecutors allege Kurczewski used eyedrops to poison the woman, whom she was caring for, and staged the scene to look like a suicide by drug overdose. Kurczewski also is accused of stealing $290,210 from her over time.
She has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Here's a closer look at some of the people who are expected to play key roles during the trial, which is expected to stretch five weeks:
The accused
Jessy Kurczewski
Age: 39
Kurczewski reportedly had been living in Franklin at the time of the incident.
The prosecutor
Abbey Nickolie
Age: 34
Experience:
Deputy District Attorney, Waukesha County since February
Assistant District Attorney, January 2014-2023
Worked as an intern in the district attorney's office after finishing college and law school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Notable:
Prosecuted Adam Roth, who was given life in the fatal 2020 stabbing of two family members.
Prosecuted Jessie Lee, the man who's serving a life sentence in the 2016 shooting death of Christina Schuster.
The defense
Donna Kuchler, criminal defense attorney
Her son and law partner, Anthony Cotton, joined her firm in 2005. The firm, Kuchler & Cotton S.C., is based in Waukesha.
Education:
Concordia University, 1993 (summa cum laude)
University of Wisconsin Law School, 1995
Notable:
Represented Morgan Geyser, one of two teens charged in 2016 in the Slender Man stabbing case.
Was the lawyer who defended Todd Dittberner, a Jefferson County man who was charged in 2004 of shaking his infant son to death. Dittberner was later acquitted in the case.
Pablo Galaviz
Galaviz is a partner with the law firm of Galaviz Legal LLC in Waukesha.
Education:
Finished Marquette University Law School in 1990.
Experience:
Worked as a prosecutor in the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office for nearly three decades before becoming a defense attorney. He has represented clients facing municipal, state and federal crimes, from simple traffic violations to homicide crimes, to include drug and complex white-collar charges.
The judge
Jennifer Dorow, chief judge of the 3rd Judicial Administrative District, Waukesha County
Age: 53
Education: Graduate of Marquette University and Regent University School of Law. She has been licensed to practice law in Wisconsin since 1996.
Experience:
Appointed to the Waukesha County court in 2011 by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker.
Notable:
Was the judge who oversaw the 2022 trial of Darrell Brooks, who was convicted of driving an SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, killing six and injuring dozens of others.
Was a Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate in 2023.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: These are key figures in Jessy Kurczewski's 'eye drops' homicide trial
