Monroe trucker’s murderer to be sentenced Monday

The woman convicted in August of killing a Monroe truck driver will learn her fate early next week.

Mariana Lesnic, 44, is scheduled to be sentenced at 1 p.m. Monday in Iowa County District Court in Marengo.

Jurors unanimously found Lesnic guilty of first-degree murder in August for shooting Ernest Kummer, 60, in September of 2017 while he was sleeping in his semi-truck at an Interstate 80 rest stop near Victor. Lesnic is facing possible life in prison without parole.

The trial lasted three days with jury selection taking up most of the first day and continued with testimony from several law-enforcement officials and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation employees involved in the case.

On the third and final day of the trial, after the state witnesses were finished with their testimony, Lesnic gave her side of the story to jurors. Lesnic elected to represent herself in the trial but was given a standby attorney.

She started by explaining the murder weapon’s origin — a nine-millimeter handgun she claimed was purchased years ago after she was robbed in New Mexico. Lesnic then mentioned meeting Kummer while hitchhiking in Nebraska. They exchanged phone numbers after Kummer gave her a ride, she said.

At some point, Lesnic decided to travel to Seattle, and she claimed Kummer told her he could take her despite the owner of Kummer’s trucking company testifying they do not travel to Washington state.

Kummer picked up Lesnic and let her stay at his home for three days before they were allegedly to go to Seattle. During those 72 hours, Lesnic claims Kummer was acting strangely, treating her poorly and had several firearms stashed in multiple places. Lesnic also claimed Kummer had a brother following them while riding in the semi-truck who intended to “party” with them.

The fear of all those elements, Lesnic told jurors, was what motivated her to shoot Kummer while he slept inside the sleeper of the semi-truck.

“I shot him under fear and pressure,” Lesnic said during her testimony. “I was in trouble with an old man I felt sorry for.”

Assistant Attorney General Douglas Hammerand cross-examined Lesnic, asking her why she did not mention those details when she was first interrogated by DCI Special Agent Ryan Herman. Lesnic responded by saying her interrogation was too short, she was in too much shock and she didn’t remember.

Herman was called back to the stand to ask if the details Lesnic described were brought up while he interrogated her. With the exception of Lesnic telling him about Kummer’s brother following them, Herman answered “no” to every claim.

Kummer’s family declined to comment following the guilty verdict.

Kummer was found dead in his semi-truck sleeper after Iowa County Sheriff officials received a report at 2:37 a.m. Sept. 6, 2017, of the shooting at the westbound I-80 rest stop near Victor.

Contact Orrin Shawl at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or oshawl@newtondailynews.com