Jury Finds Red Wing Man Guilty of First-Degree Murder

Hastings, MN (KROC-AAM News) - A jury in Dakota County today returned a guilty verdict against a Red Wing man charged with murder.

35-year-old Kyle Williams was accused of murdering a Hastings woman three years ago. Court records state that 36-year-old Kelly Kocurek was found strangled to death in a Hastings hotel room.

The criminal complaint in the case says Williams called 911 on May 18, 2021 from the hotel. When emergency responders and law enforcement arrived, they found Kocurek unresponsive on the floor next to several cut cords.

The court document says Williams told Hastings police that he heard the woman screaming hysterically and then discovered that she had somehow strangled herself.

The charges say investigators later learned that Kocurek had a pre-existing injury to her arm that limited the use of her hand and made it necessary for her to receive assistance in getting dressed and with other daily activities. The criminal complaint also stated that an autopsy found injuries inconsistent with self-inflicted wounds that were rather attributed to a physical assault.

He was initially charged with second-degree murder, but the Dakota County Grand Jury later returned a first-degree murder indictment in the case.

The jury that heard the case today found Williams guilty of first-degree murder. He was sentenced this afternoon to life in prison without parole.

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The trial was delayed multiple times following psychological exams that found Williams incompetent to participate in the legal proceedings. Another psychological exam performed earlier this year led to a ruling that he was competent to face trial.

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