SE Minnesota Man Ruled Competent For Trial in 2021 Murder Case

Hastings, MN (KROC-AM News) - A judge in Dakota County has issued a ruling that should clear the way for a Red Wing man to stand trial for murdering a Hastings woman three years ago.

35-year-old Kyle Williams faces first and second-degree murder charges stemming from the strangulation death of 36-year-old Kelly Kocurek at a hotel in Hastings in 2021.

His trial has been delayed multiple times following psychological exams that found him incompetent to participate in the legal proceedings against him. A Dakota County Judge recently reviewed the results of another round of psychological testing and ruled Williams competent for trial.

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According to the criminal complaint, Williams called 911 on May 18, 2021 from his hotel room, where emergency responders and law enforcement officers found Kocurek unresponsive on the floor next to several cut cords. The court document says Williams told the officers he heard her screaming hysterically and discovered that she had somehow strangled herself.

The woman was rushed to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where she died 5 days later.

The charges indicate that investigators learned 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 court document also says an autopsy found injuries inconsistent with self-inflicted wounds that were attributed to a physical assault.

Williams has been held on $2 million bail since his arrest in the case. His trial is currently scheduled to begin in early November.