WI v. James Prokopovitz - Sentencing

Most Asked Question Responses:

NO BODY HAS BEEN FOUND OF THE VICTIM

Last Name Pronunciation: Pro-Koe-Povitch

Defendant's Nickname by friends: Curly. In Court Nickname: Jim

Date of Crime: April 25, 2013

Date of Arrest: May 9, 2019

Others Key Players Involved:

Kathy Friday, 68- girlfriend of defendant, deceased

Kathy killed herself in 2020 after pleading guilty to perjury charges involving lying about when her relationship began with defendant.

Possible Sentence: Life

Defense: Pleading Not Guilty

Jury Breakdown: 9 Women 6 Men

Burn Incident with Wes,, Witness was Stacey Deer, Victim's Daughter:

Prosecution: Was there an incident where your brother Wes got burned?

Witness: Yes, he was riding a minibike, and his friend and he got in an altercation and oil spilled on him and threw a lighter on him

Prosecution: Was that devastating

Witness: Yes

Prosecution: Was he in a burn center?

Witness: Yes in Milwaukee

Prosecution: Was your mom particularly traumatized?

Witness: Yes

Prosecution: did your mom move down there for those 5 months?

Witness: Yes

Prosecution: were they pretty close as a result of that?

Witness: Yes

Wisconsin man James Prokopovitz, 75, stands trial in Brown County for allegedly killing his missing wife Victoria Prokopovitz, 59, then lying in court about his relationship with girlfriend Kathryn M. Friday, 68. Opening statements begin Monday, February 15.

Charges include first-degree intentional homicide, domestic abuse; obstructing an officer; and perjury before a court.

Prosecutors have a murder case without a body. Victoria Prokopovitz went missing back on April 25, 2013, authorities say. At the time, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office stated that she lived with depression and could hurt herself. Investigators changed their stance six years later.

It was James Prokopovitz who ended up reporting her missing, and said she had depression, according to the complaint obtained by WBAY. Though he claimed to have looked for her the day she disappeared, the defendant allegedly went to work the next day and didn’t tell his co-workers about Victoria. He didn’t act any different.

Authorities say that friends and family participated in the search for the victim, but her husband didn’t help, even becoming “hostile at times,” insisting she was dead, and saying they were “wasting their time.”

Ultimately, Prokopovitz allegedly tripped himself up lying about his actions for years, even committing perjury in a 2019 hearing. He said, however, that he did not kill his wife, but that he was trying to protect his newly kindled relationship with former girlfriend Kathryn Friday.

Per the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Prokopovitz’s girlfriend, Kathryn Friday, was also been arrested for obstruction and perjury in the investigation.

Kathy killed herself in 2020 after pleading guilty to perjury charges involving lying about when her relationship began with defendant.

Propokovitz had allegedly announced mere weeks after Victoria’s disappearance that he was now with Friday. Friday, who pleaded no contest to also lying in that 2019 hearing, died by suicide last year.

Authorities said they found no evidence that Victoria Prokopovitz lived with depression.

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