263. The Eyedrop Killer - The Death of Lynn Hernan

Summary

Murder With My Husband: Episode 263 - The Eyedrop Killer - The Death of Lynn Hernan

Hosted by OH NO MEDIA

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Introduction

In Episode 263 of “Murder With My Husband”, titled “The Eyedrop Killer - The Death of Lynn Hernan”, hosts Peyton and Garrett Moreland delve into a chilling true crime case that intertwines trust, betrayal, and meticulous deception. Released on April 7, 2025, this episode unpacks the mysterious death of Lynn Hernan, a beloved member of her Wisconsin community, and the subsequent unraveling of her trusted caretaker, Jesse Kruzchevsky.

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Background on Lynn Hernan

[03:09] Peyton Moreland:
“The year is 2018, and we are in Pojoaque, Wisconsin. This is where 61-year-old Lynn Hernan has spent a significant portion of her adult life.”

Lynn Hernan was a 61-year-old hairstylist who had established her own salon in Pojoaque, Wisconsin. Known for her kindness and warm-hearted nature, Lynn led a modest and peaceful life. Her passions included caring for animals, supporting local shelters, enjoying the beach, cooking, and watching old black-and-white movies. Despite never marrying or having children, Lynn maintained strong friendships, notably with her ex-boyfriend Jim Kelleher, whom she remained close to even after their romantic relationship ended nearly a decade prior.

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The Events Leading to Her Death

[03:37] Peyton Moreland:
“In October 2018, Lynn's health began to decline due to several chronic conditions, including high blood pressure, lung disease, and severe gastrointestinal issues.”

As Lynn's health deteriorated over the years, she became more reclusive and self-conscious about her declining condition. Her friend Jim noticed a shift in her behavior, observing that she was becoming more withdrawn despite having experienced periods of improvement.

[10:07] Peyton Moreland:
“I’ve been with her for the last two years. She was in so much pain by the end, with no cure or treatment in sight.”

On the night of October 3, 2018, a distressing 911 call was made from Lynn's home. The caller reported finding Lynn unresponsive in her recliner, surrounded by pill bottles and a mysterious white substance. Upon arrival, responders pronounced her dead at the scene. Initial suspicions pointed towards an accidental overdose or suicide, especially given Lynn’s ongoing health battles.

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Investigation and Suspicion on Jesse Kruzchevsky

Jesse Kruzchevsky, Lynn's 32-year-old caretaker and adopted daughter, became the focal point of the investigation. Jesse had been living with Lynn for the past two years, managing her daily needs and finances.

[10:45] Peyton Moreland:
“Jesse mentioned that Lynn had been considering suicide as a means to end her suffering.”

However, discrepancies began to surface when Lynn's other friends, including Jim and Anthony Posa, expressed shock and confusion over her sudden death. Jim recounted receiving a call from Jesse shortly after Lynn's death, informing him of a memorial dinner, which seemed uncharacteristically detached and suspicious.

[12:14] Garrett Moreland:
“Three, Jim says in the times he spoke to Lynn before her death, she might not have been feeling well, but she never gave any indication to him of taking her own life.”

[15:50] Peyton Moreland:
“In 2014, four years before she passed, she actually inherited a quarter of a million dollars after her mother died. And yet that money seemed to be gone. Now in just four years, Anthony learned, according to Jesse, there was only $87 left.”

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Evidence of Theft and Financial Fraud

As investigators delved deeper, glaring inconsistencies in Jesse’s handling of Lynn’s finances emerged. Jesse had access to Lynn’s bank accounts and credit cards, leading to suspicious activities such as:

• Unauthorized Withdrawals:
  [23:22] Garrett Moreland:
  “She was transferring money from Lynn's account and dropping it directly into hers, only to withdraw that money from an ATM at a nearby casino.”

• Fraudulent Credit Card Usage:
  [23:39] Garrett Moreland:
  “People are stupid.”
  [23:41] Peyton Moreland:
  “She has a proven track record of doing this.”

A significant transaction of $130,000 was discovered, where a fraudulent check made out to Jesse from Lynn's checkbook was cashed. This financial misconduct, coupled with Jesse's prior convictions for forgery and identity theft, painted a damning picture of her involvement in Lynn’s demise.

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Toxicology and the Eyedrop Poisoning

The pivotal moment in the investigation came with the medical examiner’s toxicology report.

[19:07] Peyton Moreland:
“They discovered about eight different prescriptions in Lynn's blood at the time, none of which matched those found at the scene.”

Crucially, the report revealed the presence of tetrahydrozoline, the active ingredient in certain eye drops, at lethal levels. This substance was not part of the medications prescribed to Lynn, indicating it was likely introduced to induce her death.

[20:33] Garrett Moreland:
“I mean, I feel like it's pretty obvious at this point when there's crushed up drugs that are not even ingested in her, that something fishy is obviously going on.”

This revelation suggested that the scene was staged to resemble a suicide or accidental overdose, diverting suspicion away from foul play.

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The Trial

After mounting evidence, Jesse was arrested in July 2019 and faced numerous charges, including first-degree homicide. The trial, commencing in October 2023, featured testimonies aimed at exonerating Jesse, with defense witnesses presenting Lynn as someone battling severe mental health issues.

[31:03] Garrett Moreland:
“They concluded that Jesse was guilty of all charges, including first-degree homicide.”

Despite attempts by the defense to shift blame onto Lynn’s psychiatric conditions and potential self-harm, the prosecution's case—bolstered by financial records, toxicology reports, and witness testimonies—proved overwhelming.

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Verdict and Sentencing

After deliberating for an extended period, the jury convicted Jesse of first-degree homicide. In April 2024, Jesse was sentenced to life in prison with an additional 10 years for theft charges. Additionally, she was ordered to repay $386,000 in restitution, ensuring that any potential profits from her story would be redirected back to Lynn’s estate.

[36:42] Garrett Moreland:
“They concluded that Jesse was guilty of all charges, including first-degree homicide.”

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Conclusion

The tragic death of Lynn Hernan underscores the dangers of misplaced trust and the devastating impact of financial manipulation intertwined with lethal intent. Jesse Kruzchevsky's betrayal not only robbed Lynn of her life but also shattered the bonds of a deeply trusted relationship. This case serves as a haunting reminder that even those closest to us can harbor sinister motives.

[35:43] Peyton Moreland:
“Jesse took Lynn's money, her time, and her life.”

Through meticulous investigation and steadfast prosecution, justice was ultimately served, bringing closure to a community mourning the loss of a beloved individual.

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Notable Quotes

• [03:09] Peyton Moreland:
  “The year is 2018, and we are in Pojoaque, Wisconsin. This is where 61-year-old Lynn Hernan has spent a significant portion of her adult life.”

• [10:07] Peyton Moreland:
  “I’ve been with her for the last two years. She was in so much pain by the end, with no cure or treatment in sight.”

• [19:07] Peyton Moreland:
  “They discovered about eight different prescriptions in Lynn's blood at the time, none of which matched those found at the scene.”

• [36:42] Garrett Moreland:
  “They concluded that Jesse was guilty of all charges, including first-degree homicide.”

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Final Thoughts

“The Eyedrop Killer - The Death of Lynn Hernan” is a gripping exploration of trust gone wrong, financial deceit, and the quest for justice in the face of personal betrayal. For listeners seeking a detailed and emotionally charged true crime narrative, this episode offers a compelling portrayal of the complexities involved in unraveling such a multifaceted case.

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Transcript

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Wisp. That's. Hello whisp.com. the waiting room can wait. You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey everybody. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with my husband. I'm Peyton Moreland.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm Garrett Moreland.

[Peyton Moreland]

And he's the husband.

[Garrett Moreland]

I'm the husband. Another Monday, another episode, and we hope everyone is having a great Monday. I am jumping into my 10 seconds here. Honestly, I don't have much. Sorry, I know it sounds kind of sad. I don't have much for my 10 seconds. We are adding some new trees to our backyard. So I guess I'm. I don't know. I don't know how. I guess I'm excited about that. Peyton wanted to add them. They're like these Japanese pink trees. I don't really know how else to explain them.

[Peyton Moreland]

We need some happiness around here, so.

[Garrett Moreland]

We'Re adding those to our backyard. Other than that, honestly been hanging out. So I'm sorry I don't have anything amazing for you guys, but I promise next week I will have something amazing. Maybe I'll go skydiving or something this week so that I can have a good story. Pain is a woman who goes skydiving, though. So either she's going to have to go with me or when I'm 90 years old and she dies first, then I can go.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't. I think that would be a liability. I don't think they'd let 90 year think so.

[Garrett Moreland]

They probably wouldn't.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's like, what if you had heart failure?

[Garrett Moreland]

No, I There's probably a 99% chance you would have a heart attack and you were 90 years old.

[Peyton Moreland]

Skydiving, just that adrenaline not good for you.

[Garrett Moreland]

Anyways, this has kind of gotten way off topic. Hope everyone's doing great. We're jumping into today's episode once again. If you're new to the podcast, I have no idea what Peyton is going to be saying. I have no idea what this case is, and I'm hearing it for the first time. So let's get into it.

[Peyton Moreland]

Our sources for this episode are cbs news.com fox6now.com oxygen.com basementfortproductions.com wb.com apnews.com legacy.com mamma mia.com courttv.com wisn.com new york post.com and jsonline.com so I think it's safe to say that family is something we talk about a lot on this show. But I also understand that not all of us have parents or children or a partner that we can rely on in times of need. In those situations, many of us turn to the chosen family we found throughout our lives to help us through the hard times. Whether that's colleagues or friends or our friends as kids, there should always be at least one person out there you can trust, who you can turn to when you're feeling depressed or lonely or sick. And just because they don't have the same blood coursing through their veins doesn't mean they're any less deserving of your love or your trust. But it doesn't mean that their betrayal hurts any less either. So while we expect that chosen family to always return the sentiment, to always have our best interest in heart, just like real family, things can slip through the cracks. And today's story is proof that letting your guard down to the wrong person, regardless of how close they are to you, could be a matter of life or death. So the year is 2018 and we are in Pojaque, Wisconsin. This is where 61 year old Lynn Hernan has spent a lot of her adult life. After graduating high school in Madison, this is about an hour's drive away from where she lives. Lynn became a hairstylist who eventually went on to open her own salon. So it's safe to say that there were a lot of people in the Pojoaque area who knew Lynn, or at least knew of her. And from what everyone said about her, she was just the kindest, most warm hearted person they had come across in their lives. But she also loved her quaint and modest life. Her greatest joys were being at the beach and caring for her animals. She had several of her own and was involved with local shelters in the evenings. She loved cooking herself a meal and unwinding to old black and white movies. But things at home were mostly quiet for Lynn over the years. She never had any kids, she never got married, and that didn't seem to bother her. She still dated quite a few people over the years, including Jim Kelleher, who she'd met at a music festival back in 1983 when she was just 27. Remember now she's 61 now. Lynn and Jim were together for close to 10 years, but things tapered off before they ever walked down the aisle. But even after they broke up, Lynn and Jim remained really good friends. Friends who saw each other often and were always there for one another in a time of need. Even when Jim met someone, he and his new partner stayed close with Lynn, his ex girlfriend from a long time ago up until 2018, which I think says a lot of great things about someone. If you can be friends with your ex and their new partner for that long, that's impossible. However, that year, Jim noticed that Lynn was starting to kind of drift away a bit. Lynn had been suffering from several health issues for at least the last two years. Things like high blood pressure, lung disease, really bad gastrointestinal issues. And despite being in and out of the hospital a lot and seeing a bunch of different doctors and specialists, none of them were able to get to the root cause or issue, even to diagnose her condition. According to some friends, Lynn even started to get a bit self conscious about how her health was taking a toll on her body. And the once social butterfly stopped wanting to do as much or have as many visitors as she did before. So her life has been pretty consistent, been pretty stable, and now she's starting to act a little different. And though Lynn's health was definitely on the decline. No one expected what was about to happen to her on the night of October 3, 2018. So that evening, a 911 call was made from Lynn Hernan's home in Wisconsin. The person on the line said they had found their friend Lynn unresponsive in her recliner in her living room, that she had pill bottles scattered around her and there was crushed medication covering her chest, plus a white substance on a plate next to her. Now when first responders arrive at Lynn's house, though, they find it's too late to try and resuscitate her. Unfortunately, the 61 year old Lynn is pronounced dead in her home at the scene. And the investigators first instinct after learning that she had been battling with several health issues is that Lynn may have died by an accidental overdose or perhaps even a suicide. A suspicion that's supported by the person who made that 911 call. Lynn's caretaker and basically adopted daughter, Jesse Kruzchevsky, now 32 year old Jesse, was the biological daughter of one of Lynn's oldest and closest friends, a woman named Jennifer. So Lynn had known Jesse since she was a little girl. And while it seems Lynn and Jennifer might have kind of drifted apart, their friendship wasn't as close. By the end of her life, Jesse and Lynn, her friend's daughter, were thick as thieves. Jesse had been going to Lynn's house regularly for the last two years, ever since her health started to decline. And when things really took a turn for the worse, Jesse was practically living there with Lynn on a day to day basis, kind of like a built in caretaker. Jesse was also the one who supposedly did all of Lynn's grocery shopping, ran her errands, even helped her pay bills. Towards the end, anything Lynn couldn't do, Jesse said, she helped her take care of. And again, this is Lynn's old friend's daughter. So when investigators speak to Jesse, she says she's really not totally surprised that this is how things ended for Lynn.

[Garrett Moreland]

Interesting, she says.

[Peyton Moreland]

I've been with her for the last two years. She was in so much pain by the end, with no cure or treatment in sight. So according to Jesse, Lynn often spoke to her about dying by suicide as a way to end this suffering that had been happening for two years. And police take Jesse's word for a lot of this, mainly because it does kind of add up for what they found at the scene. But it doesn't add up to a lot of Lynn's other friends when they hear the news. So remember, Jesse is the One who found her. So this is the first kind of look into Lynn's life they get is from Jesse's point of view.

[Garrett Moreland]

Got it. Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

But just to be sure, they then start talking to the other people in Lynn's life, and this is what they find out. So police learned pretty quickly that Lynn was still really good friends with Jim, her ex, and his new partner. And so as they talk to him, this is what they learn. Jim tells police that he got a strange call from Jesse right after Lynn died. Apparently, Jesse told him in practically the same sentence that, number one, Lynn was dead and she was throwing a memorial dinner for her on October 13th. And number two, she wanted him to come.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay, wait, this was before. Like, before the cops came after.

[Peyton Moreland]

Basically right after Jesse found Lynn, she calls Jim because she knows that they're very close, kind of like a chosen family.

[Garrett Moreland]

It says, I'm throwing a memorial, yada.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yada, yada, she's dead, and I'm throwing a memorial. You should come.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, this phone call rubs Jim the wrong way for a couple of reasons. One, Jesse doesn't sound very upset. Like, when she calls and says, Lynn's dead. For someone who has basically lived with her for the last little bit, she has no tears. Number two, he also knows of Jesse, but he's not actually ever met Jesse before, not in all the years that he was friends with Lynn. I'm not even sure that Jim was aware that Jesse was Lynn's caretaker and was living with her.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's kind of strange, right?

[Peyton Moreland]

Considering how close they are.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Three, Jim says in the times he spoke to Lynn before her death, she might not have been feeling well, but she never gave any indication to him of taking her own life. And it's not just Jim who's saying this. So police say, hey, Jesse, who was really close with her, said this and everyone else. Lynn's friend Anthony Posa hears the news, and he's like, this is shocking. He says he saw Lynn about a month before she passed away, and he said she seemed to be improving, that her illnesses were subsiding, she was looking better, she was feeling better. She was starting to get out of the house again and resume life. But for now, Lynn's friends are being forced to just kind of sort of accept this unknown, even five months later, as they're still waiting for the medical examiner to rule on Lynn's cause of death, which may be why Around February of 2019, Jesse goes to the police station. So she shows up to the police station. She's like, I Am looking for an update on my friend Lynn's case. Basically, she says, I'm the one who found her. I was really close to her. I want to know once and for all if her cause of death is being ruled a suicide or if it's something medical. Now they tell her, we haven't got the final ruling yet. But they also get Jesse to tell them a little bit more about how things were with Lynn before she died. So she. Because she comes in, they take the chance to talk to her.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, I don't know. I'm just confused why. I don't say why she cares so much, but why does she need to know? She's just pressing and red flags are raising. Yeah, basically. Basically is what I'm trying to say. I also can't think of. Okay, so she does kill her. Why? Like what benefit does she get from this? Is she on the will? Does she get all the stuff?

[Peyton Moreland]

Right.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like what? Like what benefit does she get in killing her? I don't know.

[Peyton Moreland]

So when they start talking to Jesse this second time around, Jesse mentions that Lynn had been pushing a lot of people away in the weeks before she d and that Jesse was really the only one that she still kept around. She said that when people called, Lynn was refusing to answer and was having Jesse take messages for them. She just basically tells police, listen, Lynn was in a really dark place. But when police spoke with Jim, remember, he said that wasn't the case. He called the house a few weeks before Lynn died, and Jesse did answer, but she was rude and curt to Jim. She told him never call the number again and not to worry about Lynn. Then she practically hung up on him. So now you kind of know why Jim is not so sure about Jesse. Jim then said Lynn called him from the hospital a few days later and actually made plans to see him when she got discharged. So something's not adding up here. But that wasn't the only thing that the math wasn't mathing on. Apparently Anthony Posa, Lynn's other friend, who was practically like a nephew to him.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Was a beneficiary in her will. In fact, he and Jesse were the only two listed there. Okay, again, it's kind of like this is her built in daughter, her built in nephew.

[Garrett Moreland]

So it makes sense. Now she's on the.

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, basically she's leaving it to her friends as kids who she was very close with. But Jesse was named the personal representative, which in the state of Wisconsin pretty much means that she's the executor. So in the months After Lynn died, Anthony checked in with Jesse a few times, seeing if she needed any help in handling Lynn's affairs. And surprisingly, Jesse said yes. But she sent Anthony a bunch of credit card bills that were unpaid. Apparently Lynn was in a lot of debt, which was shocking considering Lynn had lived most of her life paycheck to paycheck. Like she was pretty frugal.

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

But in 2014, four years before she passed, she actually inherited a quarter of a million dollars after her mother died.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh.

[Peyton Moreland]

And yet that money seemed to be gone. Now in just four years, Anthony learned, according to Jesse, there was only $87 left.

[Garrett Moreland]

Holy crap.

[Peyton Moreland]

And only some of it was used to buy things for Lynn. A new car, a little bit of jewelry. Anthony was actually shocked to find that most of that money had been wired to Jesse. So as this is starting to unravel, the chief medical examiner is finalizing his report on Lynn. And you're never going to believe what they find in there. They do discover about eight different prescriptions in Lynn's blood at the time. Some had been prescribed by her doctors, but a few of them, her doctors, had supposedly taken her off a long time before she died. Though it's possible Lynn, who was desperate to feel better, Wanted to finish out the medication. So it's not totally alarming. It's also not alarming to the medical examiner because they were all at therapeutic levels. There was nothing far over the prescribed dosages. Here's the thing, though. The medications that were crushed up on Lynn's side table and found scattered around at the scene of the crime, not.

[Garrett Moreland]

Even in her body.

[Peyton Moreland]

None of those prescriptions were found in her toxicology report.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, put me on csi, man.

[Peyton Moreland]

Which means those were most likely planted. And someone was trying to make it look like a suicide.

[Garrett Moreland]

To think that they wouldn't figure that out.

[Peyton Moreland]

Right? Like, if you're gonna make someone look like they overdose, at least have them over.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's so insane to think that they wouldn't figure that out.

[Peyton Moreland]

Especially because the one thing that was in her system Was something no one should ingest. It's called bleach. Nice. Tetrahydrozoline is a.

[Garrett Moreland]

Is that long for bleach?

[Peyton Moreland]

It's the main ingredient in eye drops. Wait, but I want to clarify. This is not just, like, trace amounts in her blood. This wasn't something she got by putting eye drops in her eye.

[Garrett Moreland]

I didn't know that it was poisonous.

[Peyton Moreland]

The toxicology report finds so much. Did they feel confident Lynn ingested eye drop medication orally? And tetrahydrozoline can be very lethal if you have enough of it. Here's the problem, though. They're like, okay, we think this is actually what killed her. It wasn't any of those drugs. But that doesn't totally rule out the idea of suicide. I mean, a toxicology report can't tell you whether someone drink eye drops willingly or not. Only that there was a scary amount in her that caused her death.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, I feel like it's pretty obvious at this point when there's crushed up drugs that are not even ingested in her, that something fishy is obviously going on.

[Peyton Moreland]

So when this report comes out in 2019, police have already had some suspicions about the person who found Lynn dead that October day. As you know, mainly because everyone else is kind of pointing the finger at her.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

And that's Jesse. And so they start heavily looking into Jesse once they begin to think that this might be a murder. Right. And here's what they find. Let's just say after looking into Jesse, they do not think that Lynn took those eyedrops on her own. So it turns out Jesse wasn't some selfless friend of Lynn's who was dedicating her life to try and nurse her back to health to thank her for the years of friendship. Jesse actually had a bit of a criminal background. In fact, up until February 2016, about two and a half years before Lynn died, Jesse was in prison for forgery and identity theft charges. Shortly after that, when Lynn started to feel ill and perhaps wanting to help Jesse get back on her feet, Lynn asked Jesse if she would be her caretaker, and Lynn would pay her in return. At least that's what Jesse said. Right. So she gets out of prison. Lynn, who really cares about her, says, I haven't been feeling well. You can come take care of me, and I'll take care of you. So this is what Jesse said. And in June 2016, just a few months after Jesse was released from prison, large chunks of cash started leaving Lynn's account. And then Jesse starts taking credit cards out in Lynn's name. She begins writing checks to herself from Lynn's accounts. Now, it's very possible Lynn knew about this, maybe even wanted to help Jesse out, especially if she was feeling like she wouldn't get the chance to spend her inheritance herself. And I say this because Lynn seemingly made Jesse, along with her chosen nephew Anthony, a beneficiary on her will in 2018. But it's also possible that Lynn just trusted Jesse to help her manage her finances. But instead of using that money to, say, I don't know, pay off Lynn's mortgage, Jesse transferred that money directly into her own account. I can tell you for a fact that's what happened during Lynn's last hospital stay. This was in October of 2018, the month she died. While Lynn was being cared for by doctors, her caretaker, Jesse, was treating it like a little vacation. She was transferring money from Lynn's account and dropping it directly into hers, only to withdraw that money from an ATM at a nearby casino. And even shadier, on the day lynn died, a JCPenney credit card was opened in Lynn's name. And then a day so later, $3,000 worth of furniture was charged to another card in Lynn's name. But she's dead. Furniture that was then delivered To Jesse's apartment.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, yeah, duh, obviously. It's just funny to me that I don't know, like when you're trying to hide things, like it's. But you're not hiding them.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. And like also, if Lynn is dead, how is her credit cards being used? Yeah, like they didn't. I don't know. You know what I mean?

[Garrett Moreland]

People are stupid.

[Peyton Moreland]

Obviously we know it wasn't Lynn who made that purchase though. The biggest transaction actually came a few weeks after that when a fraudulent check made out to Jesse from Lynn's Checkbook was cashed for 130, 000. So between February 2016, when she was released from prison, to October of 2018, when Lynn died, Jesse had a hundred and forty four thousand dollars of Lynn's now in her name.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

So no wonder Anthony was in shock when he followed up on his portion of the inheritance and was like, there's nothing left. And that's because slowly, as Lynn was still alive, Jesse had been draining it to herself. And Lynn had just a bunch of unpaid credit card debt left in her name because Jesse had taken all of it out and then some. But you're probably wondering, why would Jesse want Lynn dead, Especially if she had already stolen everything from her, like she already had the money. Well, guess what? If you're a beneficiary on someone's will, there's a lot more you can cash in on. Mortgages, cars, jewelry, other stuff you can liquidate. And Jesse knew this.

[Garrett Moreland]

Life insurance, everything.

[Peyton Moreland]

So did the police. So once they untangle Jesse's entire scheme, they have more than enough to arrest her on identity theft and wire fraud charges, Especially because this is definitely a violation against her parole considering that Lynn's dead. So she couldn't consent to any of this. Remember, she was initially in prison for these same exact charges. So In July of 2019, Jesse is placed in handcuffs and brought in for questioning. Now, police interview Jesse six times over the next few days because they have a sneaking suspicion that Jesse wasn't just stealing from Lynn. She was probably poisoning her as well and keeping her sick. So as they get deeper into questioning her, the deeper Jesse seems to dig herself into a hole. The first day, they admittedly didn't get a whole lot out of her. She mostly tries to convince them Lynn was giving her that money, a gift for taking care of her. She says Lynn had been looking for ways to die by suicide for a while. She'd been taking a bunch of medications, was looking for ways to spend her money before she died. Which is why she was giving Jesse control over it. But then the police give her a little something to see if she'll take the bait. They tell Jesse, well, you know, the medical examiner found something called tetrahydrosalene in her system. They also tell her that's the main ingredient in eye drops. And Jesse's quick to respond. She's like, oh, well, Lynn used eye drops all the time. And the police are like, nope, she didn't overdose from putting these in her eyes. She drank these eye drops. In fact, we think someone gave her these eye drops via poisoning. Now Jesse's catching on. She says to the police are, do you think I killed her? And she's I swearing up and down, I didn't. So the police send her back to herself for the night. But they have some information from Jesse's boyfriend Scott that indicates she had experience with ingesting eyedrops herself.

[Garrett Moreland]

No way. So apparently, eye drops, who would have thought? Did you know this before?

[Peyton Moreland]

I think so. I think I've heard of this before.

[Garrett Moreland]

I didn't know eye drops were that.

[Peyton Moreland]

Poisonous in lethal amount. I think a lot of things are.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, I guess everything is in a certain amount, but yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

So apparently Scott shared some text messages they exchanged three months after Lynn died. He turns them over to the police. Jesse went to a bar one night and messaged Scott some hours later, saying she was in the hospital. She claimed she hadn't been feeling good and her blood pressure dropped. The text from Jesse also said that after having some blood work done, doctors found trace amounts of tetrahydrosyline in her system and that the doctor told her she might have been drugged by someone at the bar. And people slip eye drops into drinks all the time. She also tells Scott she could have died from it. Now, there's a lot about this exchange that's confusing and alarming. Remember, this is three months after Lynn died. So I don't know if Jesse was trying to plant seeds, that this could happen to anyone, that there's some mystery poisoner out there trying to kill someone with eye drops. First Lynn, now her. I don't even know if she actually went to the hospital. It's possible she did this whole thing to get attention. But what's more important is Jesse clearly knew that ingesting eye drops could kill someone before police told her about the toxicology report. And yet she played dumb to the police in the last interview, saying, oh, Lynn used eye drops in her eyes all the time. Jesse knows she messed up in that interview because after Spending another night behind bars, she reaches out to detectives and says, can we talk again? This time, she gives him a little bit more. She says, okay, Lynn, she used to mix eyedrops with her vodka sometimes. She says she'd actually known of at least three different times when Lynn did this, maybe more.

[Garrett Moreland]

Why does it get you?

[Peyton Moreland]

Is it get you makes you sleepy?

[Garrett Moreland]

That I'm finding out way too many things about substances right now.

[Peyton Moreland]

But Jesse tells him, I promise I never gave it to her. This was her decision. I had nothing to do with it. Cut to the next day. Jesse requests to be back in front of investigators again. And this time she's like, so Lynn, she actually used to drink it because it gave her a buzz, made her sleepy. She didn't think she was going to die from it. So now Jesse's saying, maybe Lynn wasn't suicidal. Maybe this just helped her sleep better and she hadn't done it just three times. Maybe she had been drinking it for at least the last two months of her life. So her story's just like everywhere. She also tells them that on the day Lynn died, Jesse stopped over there in the morning and learned that Lynn had mixed six bottles of Visine with a bottle of water and told her she was drinking it.

[Garrett Moreland]

Holy crap.

[Peyton Moreland]

Jesse says she spent 10 minutes that morning trying to talk her out of it. But when she realized she couldn't win the argument, she left. Until she went back that night, found her friend dead in the recliner. So now police are just completely speechless because the woman has been lying to them for the last several days. Why should they believe her now? And number two, if your friend, someone you care about, like your own mother, someone you've been taking care of, is mixing eye drops with water and chugging it, why would you just leave? Well, when you call the police, call an ambulance. No, instead, she went to J.C. penney's and opened up a credit card. And let's say for a second she left because she didn't actually think Lynn was going to drink it. But then shows up and is truly surprised to find her friend dead later, why wouldn't she tell the medics? Hey, like when she called 911, hey, I think this is why. If you knew exactly what killed her and you just didn't mention it, whole thing's ridiculous. Police know it. But for some reason, the justice system takes a really long time putting these murder charges together. From what I can tell, Jesse still remains behind bars for breaking her parole. But it's not until June of 2021, two years after she's arrested and questioned that Jesse is finally charged with first degree.

[Garrett Moreland]

Why did it take so long? That's crazy.

[Peyton Moreland]

And it takes another two years for Jesse to finally go to trial. She doesn't get her day in Court until October 2023. This is five years after Lynn's death. But here's the thing. Trial starts, she's claiming she's innocent. Lynn took her own life. She had nothing to do with it. Here's what's wild. At her trial, there's someone else who speaks in her defense. A man named Gary Verdin says he had been to Lynn's house twice in his life. The second time was about a year before she passed away. And he claims the day he was there, he saw a bottle of Visine sitting out with Lynn's vodka and her cigarettes. He also said that on another occasion, he was with Jesse's mom, Jennifer. When Jesse called, Jennifer put her on speaker so he could hear the entire conversation. And he claimed Jesse was with Lynn and Lynn was talking about how she was considering suicide that day.

[Garrett Moreland]

Interesting.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, so the thing about Gary is not only is his testimony circumstantial, like, he's like, oh, I just saw it and heard it.

[Garrett Moreland]

He's also best friends with Jesse.

[Peyton Moreland]

He's Jesse's mom's friend, not Lynn's friend. So he's definitely biased. But he's not the only one suggesting Jesse may be telling the truth. The defense calls another witness named Sarah Trump, who was treating Lynn for her back pain back in 2017. Sarah said on the stand that nothing seemed to work for Lynn, that by the time 2018 rolled around the PA getting worse and suggested she might have been looking for other remedies.

[Garrett Moreland]

This show is sponsored by Better Help. Peyton and I talk a lot about the importance of therapy, how we do therapy. And if you're interested in therapy, you should give better help a try. Get to talk to someone, and we love it.

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

We wear our Bombas. Peyton loves her Bombas.

[Peyton Moreland]

Not just the socks too. I like the Bombas underwear too.

[Garrett Moreland]

They, they have really nice stuff. If you haven't checked out Bombas yet, you really need to check it out. One of the highest quality companies out there, to be honest.

[Peyton Moreland]

And they now make socks that aren't just for lounging. They make socks for loafers, heels, socks for running. I mean they're. They make socks for almost every single type of activity now as well. And not just socks. Like I said, they have T shirts, they have underwear. We love them. So Bombas is going international. Enjoy worldwide shipping to over 200 countries. Head over to bombas.com husband and use code husband for 20 off your first purchase. You guys, we have a code for you. Code husband for 20 off.

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Code husband even Lynn's former doctor, Lindsay Thomas spoke out for the defense. She pointed to the fact that Lynn had a long list of medical conditions, but also psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, insomnia. She also said that she thought Lynn's mystery condition was what likely led to her death, not the poisoning. Something that was also mentioned by a forensic pathologist hired to take a second look at the autopsy report from the medical examiner. They claimed that they believed a mix of drugs in Lynn's system along with the tetrahydrosalene and her condition was what caused her death. That just the eyedrops alone couldn't have done it.

[Garrett Moreland]

I'm a little frustrated because detectives, police, they go to the house, they find fake crushed up pills all around. None of those are in her system and she's dead from eyedrops. Like what? What more do we need?

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, you have to keep in mind.

[Garrett Moreland]

All these people, more like that are.

[Peyton Moreland]

Testifying are hired by the defense. Yeah. So they came in to testify in support that. Basically in support of the defense. I mean, whether they actually support it or not, they're. They're supposedly telling the truth.

[Garrett Moreland]

I. I just. I can't with.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, okay, take out all this. Like, who could it be? She was stealing money from her. Lots of money.

[Garrett Moreland]

Don't know.

[Peyton Moreland]

Opening up credit cards.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't know what.

[Peyton Moreland]

She has a proven track record record of doing this.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't know.

[Peyton Moreland]

A ton of motive.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, to me, put me on the jury. Open and shut. Life in prison. Good night. Like, I'll save all of your guys's tax dollars. I won't drag things on. Put me in trial for like a day. That's all I need. I will save so much money.

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, the prosecution made a slam dunk statement that I think helped in this. In this trial. They stated that if Lynn had died by suicide that day, then the timing of all of it happened perfectly for Jesse, because Jesse had just sucked the last drop out of Lynn's bank account. And just when there was nothing else to steal from her, Lynn died, leaving her with all of her belongings to sell off and nothing to give the other person in the inheritance. Which sounds like a pretty serendipitous and completely unlikely scenario, especially when you're also presented with an overwhelming amount of evidence, like financial records, toxicology reports, witness testimony that wasn't in defense of Jesse. Someone even suggested that Jesse might have poisoned Lynn's pets over the years.

[Garrett Moreland]

Gosh, I do have to say that's diabolical.

[Peyton Moreland]

This didn't seem like an easy decision for the jury. They left the first day to deliberate, and after seven hours hadn't come back. Their conversations poured into the following day, where finally, after 10 hours, they had a verdict.

[Garrett Moreland]

I swear. I swear. Go ahead.

[Peyton Moreland]

They concluded that Jesse was guilty of all charges, including first degree homicide.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay, there we go.

[Peyton Moreland]

Jesse was returned to prison to await her sentencing. But meanwhile, some weird stuff happens. So during that time where she's waiting sentencing, a friend of Jesse's came forward to say they had received an envelope with 37 pages worth of documents and letters. And this friend did the right thing by turning it over to police, because those letters are from Jesse in prison, asking her friend for help. Help with faking evidence, including making a fake voice recording pretending to be Lynn. Basically that she wanted her friend to record herself talking like it was Lynn, validating a lot of Jesse's initial claims. There were even directions in Jesse's handwriting instructing the friend on how to talk and sound Like Lynn saying she has an older voice, like a raspier sound.

[Garrett Moreland]

This isn't. This is insane.

[Peyton Moreland]

She even told her to say, like, on this recording is Lynn, that she couldn't go on anymore. She was going to drink Visine to end her life. Now, I don't know if the friend received this before or after the trial. I mean, she comes forward during the time period before or after. But it's clear Jesse was hoping that this would be her saving grace. Instead, it just sealed her fate because the friend turned it over to police. Jesse was back in court on April 5, 2024, for sentencing, and the judge knew all about the little package that she'd given her friend. Jesse denied she had made and sent those. She still denied killing Lynn. In fact, she told the judge the only thing she was guilty of was, quote, being a loyal friend. Which I can tell you one thing. The judge did not agree. Jesse was sentenced to life in prison with an additional 10 years for her theft charges. The earliest she'll be available for parole is 40 years. She was also ordered to pay back $386,000 in restitution with an account that would collect and distribute the money if she ever did any interviews, documentaries, or book deals. So if she tries to profit off it, all that money will go back. Because in the end, Jesse took Lynn's money, her time and her life. But she also stripped her of one thing Lynn seemed to value above all else. That was a trusting friendship with someone she had invested years in. She had known her since she was a little girl, someone she considered her own adopted daughter. And that is the case of Lynn Hernan.

[Garrett Moreland]

1. It's kind of scary. You don't really know. I guess you never really know. Somebody to extremely sad that she died because someone killed her, obviously. 3. All this for like, $150,000. I mean, I get that. I mean, look, yeah, that's a lot of money.

[Peyton Moreland]

But, like, if someone were to say, how much do you think your head's worth? I would hope you would say more than 150.

[Garrett Moreland]

I would say at least a million. Trillion, billion dollars.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, I don't know. Frustrating. It's sad, honestly. It's sad.

[Peyton Moreland]

Especially because unless Jesse somehow forced the will, Lynn already left her as the beneficiary. Like, she was already going to get money.

[Garrett Moreland]

She was already gonna die, too. Who knows if she could have died in a couple years.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. So it's just like.

[Garrett Moreland]

Doesn't make any sense.

[Peyton Moreland]

She wanted her cake and to eat it, too.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

All right. You guys. That was our case for this week and we will see you next time with another episode. I love it.

[Garrett Moreland]

I hate it.

[Peyton Moreland]

Goodbye.

[C]

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