Defendant changes story on fatal lake crash

MERRILL, Wis. — A man accused of killing his mother surprised those in a Lincoln County courtroom when he changed his story on the witness stand about how she died.

Chase Boruch told jurors that he staged a car crash at Moraine Lake in June 2010 to make his mother’s death look like an accident so he could claim her insurance payouts.

But, the 25-year-old defendant maintained his mother’s death was indeed an accident. Boruch testified Tuesday he lied to police, his family and girlfriend about the death of 63-year-old Sally Pergolski. Boruch says he found his mother dead on the floor of her Wausau home after she appeared to have choked on a piece of meat.

The Wausau Daily Herald says medical experts have testified there’s no conclusive cause of Pergolski’s death.