I have to say that the relationship between Bill Herchenrider and Kristina Pongracz was one of the strangest I’ve ever covered.
Even prosecutors admit their relationship was odd.
Pongracz’s own defense attorney said it court it was the most “unusual” murder case he’s ever tried.
I’ve seen and covered a lot of stories in this line of work, but never one about an 18 year old woman dating a 67 year old guy.
Those who took a hard, unbiased look at the relationship told me that it seemed Pongracz needed Herchenrider, and Herchenrider needed Pongracz.
On the stand, Pongracz said she loved Herchenrider, and from what I saw, I believed her.
She did not explain however what kind of love that was.
After all, there are many different kinds of love.
She twice referred to Herchenrider as her “father figure,” which is definitely a different kind of love than a girlfriend-boyfriend type relationship.
It’s also important to remember that Herchenrider wasn’t always cooperative with authorities.
At one time, he even told investigators that he would never testify against Pongracz.
Prosecutors said he later softened on that stance, speaking numerous times with detectives, but it’s another example of the unique dynamics of the Herchenrider-Pongracz relationship.
Now that it’s all over, the impression I’m left with is that this was a story of two incredibly lonely people who in fact needed each other to mask that loneliness.
I think it’s also an example of why relationships based on preventing loneliness are hard to work.
That said, the bottom line is no one deserves the treatment that investigators said Herchenrider dealt with.
It’s just one of those stories I often cover where everybody loses.
Posted by Scott Leamon at 07:17 PM. Filed under: leamon •
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