Pennsylvania man accused of fatally stabbing woman, gambling with her money

Police had little to go on at first as they investigated the stabbing death of a Lackawanna County woman in March, but they announced on Monday that an arrest has been made.

The Pennsylvania State Police say Jerry Koezeno of Mayfield has been charged in connection with the killing of Suzanne Pauswinski in Carbondale, WNEP is reporting.

Neighbors had discovered her body in March after she was fatally stabbed and robbed, launching the extensive investigation, reports indicate.

State police say Koezeno was seen coming out of Pauswinski’s apartment, where $1,400 was missing, reports indicate. Surveillance video shows him later that day at the nearby AJ’s Bar and Grill as he gambled away $775 in cash, according to reports.

Police say Koezeno had known Pauswinski for a few years. He had less than $5 in his bank account at the time of the killing, and investigators say he went to Pauswinski’s home looking for the cash she had stored in her freezer but also may have planned to kill her ahead of time, reports indicate.

“The evidence certainly suggests a premeditated killing that was thoughtful, that was executed with some degree of professionalism,” Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell told WNEP.

Koezeno is behind bars facing charges of homicide and theft, reports indicate.