Man said to cash victim's lottery ticket

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BOSTON, April 24 (UPI) -- A 26-year-old man charged with slashing the throat of a Boston grandmother cashed her winning lottery ticket and used the money to buy heroin, prosecutors said.

Timothy Kostka was being held without bail after pleading not guilty Monday to murder and home invasion charges in the death of Barbara Coyne, 67, The Boston Herald reported.

Coyne died at Boston Medical Center after her throat was slashed in her south Boston home April 16, officials said.

Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Ursula Knight told South Boston District Judge Michael Boldan Kostka cashed in the winning ticket, believed to have been stolen from Coyne's home, and used the money to buy heroin across town. The newspaper did not report the size of the prize.

"It only took a few minutes," Knight said. "At 10:03 a.m., he was at Jimmy's Korner, cashing in the lottery ticket, and at 10:06 a.m., he started making calls for heroin."

Coyne, who knew Kostka, had described her attacker to her son before she died, Knight said.

Knight said Kostka had gone to Coyne's home to steal expensive fishing equipment owned by her son, Richard.

Kostka's fingerprints were found on two jewelry boxes, a cash box and lottery tickets, Knight said.

Defense attorney William E. Gens said the fingerprints "could have been there from 10 years ago" because Kostka knew the Coyne family.