LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — An affidavit is shedding further light on the woman charged with the murder of a Laurel County businessman back in September.
Bryan McCarty's girlfriend, 49-year-old Victoria Strelsky, was arrested at her home off Maple Grove Road, about 5 miles west of London following an extensive investigation. She's charged with murder, forgery (1st-degree), and tampering with physical evidence.
According to the affidavit, investigators were able to find Google searches on Strelsky's cell phone, including "how long to die with multiple gunshot wounds to [the] chest."
Strelsky was at the home on September 25 when officers arrived. The affidavit says removed a key from the front porch area, unlocked the home, and allowed the deputies inside. They located McCarty's body in the living room floor of the home.
The medical examiner ruled McCarty's manner of death was caused by three .22 caliber gunshot wounds. Law enforcement believes his time of death was between 12:50 and 1:45 p.m. the day before.
The Laurel County Sheriff's Office learned Strelsky was an employee of McCarty Rentals, according to the affidavit.
On September 24, the day before the murder, the affidavit says Strelsky appeared at Forcht Bank for a real estate closing for McCarty Rentals without McCarty. She told workers at Forcht Bank McCarty would not be there because he "had something more important to do." At the meeting, Strelsky presented a power of attorney authorizing her to act on behalf of McCarty to apparently try to close the real estate deal without him. The sale would net a profit of $450,000 for McCarty.
At the end of the meeting, the affidavit says Strelsky issued a check to Mary Ann Anderson for $250 on McCarty's personal checking account. Investigators say she was not authorized to issue checks on the account.
On September 26, one day after the murder, Strelsky was interviewed by deputies with the Laurel County Sheriff's Department. During the interview, Strelsky said she was McCarty's girlfriend and lived with him at the home where his body was found. She says on the night of September 24, the day of the murder, she stayed with her daughter, also in Laurel County, because her daughter was sick. She also said she wanted to visit with her son, who was visiting from the state of Washington. Her daughter's home is located directly across the street from McCarty's home.
Strelsky told investigators she had not physically seen McCarty since the night of September 23, the day before the murder. She says he told her he would not be present at the real estate closing and that she called him after he didn't show up. Strelsky also said she went to McCarty's home and knocked on the door after seeing his vehicle in the driveway, but she did not enter the home. After the interview, investigators got a hold of her cell phone.
On October 11, 2021, a man testified to the Laurel County Grand Jury that Strelsky had left her daughter's home at around 1:00 p.m. on September 24, the day of the murder, to go to the real estate closing. On October 5, 2021, detectives interviewed someone who said a month prior to the murder, McCarty told them he was going to break up with Strelsky.
The Kentucky State Police Digital Forensic Lab extracted location data from Strelsky's cell phone about her movements on September 24, 2021. The analysis placed Strelsky at her daughter's home before 1:04 p.m. and after 1:32 p.m., but where Strelsky was during that time is unclear. The extraction also revealed Strelsky's phone was at the McCarty home at 12:38 a.m. on September 24 and again at 7:26 a.m. that day.
According to the affidavit, additional information from Strelsky's phone shows on September 24, Strelsky searched the following phrases on Google on her phone:
- "how long to die with multiple gunshot wounds to chest"
- "will a .22 penetrate the heart"
- "will a .22 penetrate ribcage"
- "Body temperature after death chart"
On October 7, 2021, the affidavit says Strelsky contacted the Laurel County Sheriff's Office and reported a burglary at McCarty's home. Deputies believe after an examination that the burglary was staged to interfere with the investigation. Also, on October 23, 2021, officers were notified by Strelsky's attorney that she located a shell casing at McCarty's home. When deputies responded to the scene, they recovered a shell casing at a location inside the back door. The affidavit says deputies previously extensively searched this area and there the shell casing was not there prior to the call.
Strelsky is being held in the Laurel County Detention Center.
