Renee Delgado

Criminal Law

Professor Singer

10/25/21

No Body Murder Conviction: James M. Prokopovitz and Wife Victoria Prokopovitz

Victoria Prokopovitz was last seen on April 25, 2013 at 10:00 p.m. at her home in the

5100 block of Kunesh Road in Pittsfield, Wisconsin. James M. Prokopovitz, her husband, claims

that he went to bed at that time and that this was the last time he saw her. She was gone when he

awoke at 4:00 a.m. He claimed he looked about but couldn't find her, so he went to work. When

he got home later that afternoon, he contacted the cops to report her missing. Victoria took her

prescription with her, but she left her handbag, identification, money, dentures, smokes, and

mobile phone behind. She didn't have a car and hadn't driven one in years, and there's no proof

that she was picked up by anybody else.

She was never found after a thorough search of the region, and she was never heard from

again. Victoria looked to be doing well and was not despondent at the time of her disappearance,

according to her daughter and son, and James believed she may have committed herself. She had

tried suicide twice before, but it had been more than a decade before she vanished. Both attempts

were made at her residence. Victoria's home and all of the structures on the site were raided in

2015, and police confiscated images, seven laptops, twelve hard drives, a cell phone, bank

records, a roll of tape, and other items.

 During the search, officers discovered blood evidence in the bedroom, hallway, and

kitchen, among other places. Victoria's son, as well as James, remained in the residence. A

month after Victoria's disappearance, James started dating Kathryn Friday. This case synopsis

includes photos of them. Both of them were detained in Victoria's case in May 2019. Friday was

charged with perjury and obstruction, while James was charged with first-degree intentional

murder, domestic abuse, perjury, and refusing or obstructing an officer.

Victoria's family had been skeptical of James since she went missing, claiming that he

refused to join in any of the countless searches for her and insisted that she was dead and "never

coming back." On the day of their arrests, James and Friday both spoke under oath before a John

Doe hearing, which is a court hearing held to assess if a crime has been committed in that

jurisdiction. The pair revealed in their evidence that they had misled the police for years about

when they met. James stated he was "worried" about what others would say if he started dating

another so soon after Victoria vanished. They both agreed to lie about it.

Investigators claimed the couple had repeatedly lied to them about other aspects of

Victoria's disappearance. James had lied about looking for Victoria after he realized she was

absent, among other things. He said he had looked for her at a nearby gas station, but CCTV

footage from the station indicated this was not the case. He also claimed that on the day she

vanished, he contacted Victoria on his way home from work to inquire about supper, but phone

records revealed she had not received any calls. In a police interview following his detention,

James declared, "I killed her right here. Kathy was uninvolved in the situation. I'm not sure how I

managed to murder her. I didn't, so I can't say I'm not sure."

James had access to a sludge pond, which was full of industrial trash and was

conveniently positioned on his commute between home and work. When asked about the pond at
the John Doe hearing, James replied, "I believe that if a corpse was dumped in the sludge ponds,

it would never be discovered. I know this because I witnessed what happened to the deer who

entered the building." He denied putting Victoria's body in the pond, and searching for it was too

dangerous. Victoria and James' marriage was regarded as "up and down" by many who knew

them, with one individual describing it as abusive. Victoria had revealed that her marriage was in

peril to a health care practitioner. James allegedly "profited financially" from his wife's absence,

according to police.

Friday was released on bond until his trial, while James remained detained. Friday was

charged with bail skipping in July 2019. She was also barred from speaking with James as part of

her bond arrangement, but they reportedly spoke verbally through her sister. In July 2020, Friday

pled not guilty to perjury, conspiracy to commit perjury, and obstruction of justice. The charge of

bail jumping was dropped. At the age of 68, Friday committed suicide in November of that year,

just before her sentence.

Two convicts who had known James in jail testified against him at his trial in February

2021. According to one of them, James warned that no one would be able to recognize Victoria

since the body would be devoid of blood and teeth. Victoria's doctor testified that he had been

treating her for five years and did not feel she was suicidal at the time she vanished. Victoria told

him James was domineering and wouldn't allow her to visit a doctor, according to him. James'

ex-wife testified as well, alleging that he was aggressive and threatened her and her kid. Wesley

Edges, Victoria's son, claims that on the day she vanished, she and James got into an altercation

about a tablecloth.

Edges later left the house, and when he returned, James told him, "Mom's gone." "I woke

up, she's not here," James said to Edges when asked what he meant. Victoria's daughter testified
that her stepfather appeared more concerned in moving on with his life than in locating Victoria,

and that he removed Victoria from his medical insurance policy fast. James' counsel maintained

that the prosecution had failed to establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt, despite the fact

that his client did not call any witnesses. He was found guilty of murder and faces a life term in

jail. Victoria’s body has still not been found.

 Works Cited

Bink, Addy. “Woman Charged in Brown County Disappearance of Victoria Prokopovit

Dies.” WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton, WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton, 3

Nov. 2020,

https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/woman-charged-in-brown-county-disa

ppearance-of-victoria-prokopovitz-dies/.

“WI V. James Prokopovitz - Sentencing.” YouTube, YouTube, 27 May 2021,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E01Vi79gIIk.