Man Gets Life in Prison for 2021 Hastings Murder
A Dakota County jury has convicted a man of murder and assault in the May 2021 death of a woman at a Hastings hotel.
The verdict came after a five-day trial, with the jury deliberating for less than a day before reaching its decision.
Kyle Steven Williams, 35, was found guilty on four counts including premeditated first-degree murder, intentional second-degree murder, first-degree murder while committing domestic abuse and first-degree assault causing great bodily harm.
Judge Dannia Edwards sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a state mandatory sentence for premeditated first-degree murder.
The case began May 18, 2021, when Hastings police responded to a medical call at a hotel. Officers found 36-year-old Kelly Jo Marie Kocurek unresponsive on the floor of a room with bruising on her face, marks around her neck and several cords lying nearby. Kocurek was transported to the hospital, where she remained in a coma for five days before eventually dying of her injuries.
Williams told investigators that Kocurek had tried to strangle herself and that he had to cut the cords from her neck. However, the Ramsey County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by asphyxia due to ligature strangulation. The medical examiner also noted traumatic injuries inconsistent with self-harm, including facial bruising, bilateral jaw fractures and other head injuries.
“Today justice was rightly served,” Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said in a written statement this week. “While no verdict can undo this devastating loss, I hope it brings some peace to Kelly’s family and loved ones.”
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