Hastings, MN (KROC-AM News) – A Dakota County judge has issued a ruling that should clear the way for a Red Wing man to stand trial for the murder of a Hastings woman three years ago.
35-year-old Kyle Williams is charged with first and second degree murder, for the death by strangulation of 36-year-old Kelly Kocurek in a hotel in Hastings in 2021.
His trial was postponed several times after psychological tests determined he was not competent to stand trial. A Dakota County judge recently reviewed the results of another round of psychological tests and declared Williams competent to stand trial.
Photo by Hastings Police
According to the indictment, on May 18, 2021, Williams called 911 from his hotel room, where emergency responders and police officers found Kocurek unconscious on the floor next to several cut wires. Court documents say Williams told officers he heard her screaming hysterically and realized she had somehow strangled herself.
The woman was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where she died five days later.
The charges state that investigators found that Kocurek had a pre-existing injury to her arm that limited the use of her hand and required her to receive assistance with dressing and other daily activities. The court document also states that an autopsy found injuries that were inconsistent with self-inflicted wounds and were the result of a physical assault.
Williams has been held on $2 million bail since his arrest. His trial is currently scheduled to begin in early November.
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Gallery credit: Minnesota Now
