Brockton woman gets life in prison after being convicted of fatally stabbing boyfriend
BROCKTON — A Brockton woman has been sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted her of first-degree murder in the 2017 stabbing death and dismemberment of her boyfriend.
Kathryn R. Podgurski, now 38, was found guilty on Wednesday following a five-day trial of first-degree murder in the death of Joseph E. Shaw, 44.
Plymouth County Superior Court Judge Elaine Buckley sentenced Podgurski to the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On July 21, 2017, Brockton police received a phone call from a relative of Podgurski, who told officers that Podgurski reported men had entered her apartment, attempted to rob her and Shaw and that the men then killed Shaw and made her clean up the blood.
Podgurski's relative directed police to the Elm Court Hotel, where officers responded, but didn't locate anything.
Podgurski, who was nearby, then flagged police down and directed them to her third-floor apartment at 42 Green St., where she lived with Shaw.
Police found Shaw's body in a closet, buried under several items of clothing and bedding, a chair and covered with cat litter.
"It was apparent to police that Shaw had been deceased for some period of time," the Plymouth County district attorney's office said in a statement. "There were multiple, severe stab wounds and cuts to the victim consistent with a homicide."
A family member of Shaw had reported him missing to Brockton police on Monday, July 17, 2017.
Brockton police contacted State Police detectives assigned to the DA's office and a homicide investigation ensued. The investigation included interviews and search warrants.
The state medical examiner's office determined that the cause of Shaw's death was multiple sharp force injuries and that the manner of death was homicide.
The medical examiner determined Shaw had been stabbed more than 42 times and that the lower left portion of his leg was severed below the knee and his right arm was severed below the elbow.
Jurors heard details about how Podgurski killed Shaw, hid his body in the apartment closet and fabricated a story about how the killing was committed by others during a botched robbery.
"This defendant stabbed Mr. Shaw 42 times and left him to suffer with fatal wounds that were strong and deep," Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said in the statement. "His family then had to suffer through gruesome testimony at trial about their loved one’s murder. I hope that with today’s verdict and sentence this family is finally able to find some peace."
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Richard Linehan and Courtney Scalice.
Enterprise senior reporter Cody Shepard can be reached by email at cshepard@enterprisenews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @cshepard_ENT. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton woman gets life in prison in 2017 fatal stabbing of boyfriend
