Inset: Alexandra Kurzinger (Monreal Srnick Funeral Home). Background: Steven Kurzinger during his sentencing hearing for murdering his ex-wife Alexandra Kurzinger (WKYC/YouTube).
An Ohio man will spend the rest of his days behind bars for murdering his 37-year-old ex-wife with a gunshot to the face as she sat on her doorstep the night before a child custody hearing.
Steven Kurzinger, 37, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after he pleaded guilty to aggravated murder in the death of Alexandra Kurzinger, records show.
According to a courtroom report by local NBC affiliate WKYC and the Geauga County Maple Leaf, the defendant texted his ex-wife on the afternoon of June 25, 2025, asking whether he could come over to discuss holiday arrangements before a child custody hearing the following day. The two shared five children but went through a bitter divorce.
"We both have come a long way," he reportedly wrote. "I am hoping we can co-parent better."
But Steven Kurzinger, who listed his ex-wife in his phone as "Alex Aka C—zilla,' had more nefarious plans.
He had purchased a gun from a pawnshop about a week prior with the intention of killing her. He drove to her house on Irma Drive in Chardon, about 30 miles east of Cleveland.
The two spoke in her driveway before he left and drove to a gas station where he went to the bathroom. He returned to the home and texted her, "I'm back."
Alexandra Kurzinger met him on her porch. He shot her in the cheek and she fell to the ground. Then he fired a second, fatal shot to her face. He drove to the home where his children were staying, told someone he had killed his ex-wife, and directed them to the gun in his car.
Judge Matthew Rambo noted the premeditation and brutality of the murder.
"You took the life of another human being, not in self-defense, not in a fit of rage, but with prior calculation and design," the judge scolded. "You purchased a firearm. You took it with you, you lay in wait, and you shot her in the face. Presumably, she saw you coming and she knew it was going to happen. She knew she was about to die."
The murder was captured on video. A neighbor heard the shot and called 911. Cops quickly identified the ex-husband as the suspect and took him into custody.
Several family members attended the hearing wearing T-shirts bearing Alexandra Kurzinger's name with "I heart justice" on the back.
"You're nothing but a coward, a little boy who refused to learn to regulate and accept responsibility, nor learned to take accountability, a child who needed a constant bailout for either my grandparents or your own parents," her cousin Rachel Vogel said. "All anybody ever wanted was for her to get her life together and be better, and you murdered her for it. You're disgusting. And I hope you rot."
Steven Kurzinger apologized, saying, "It was not my intent to hurt anybody, except for Alexandra."
"I will continue to work on myself, better myself, and hopefully become part of society once more," he said.