The documentary Obsession: Murder of a Beauty Queen, premiering Dec. 17, recounts the life and murder of Agnieszka Kotlarska, a leading Polish model in the early 1990s. It explores how her rise from local pageants to the international fashion scene was eclipsed and brutally ended by a man whose obsession turned deadly.
The film reveals more than a career tragically shortened; it depicts an era with minimal legal safeguards against stalking and provides a thorough account of the circumstances leading to Kotlarska’s death.
Agnieszka Kotlarska’s journey on and off the stage
Born in Wrocław, Poland, in 1972, Agnieszka Kotlarska gained notice in her city’s small modeling world as a teen. She joined a local agency at age 17 and rose to national fame within a few years.
Her success was rapid: she won Miss Wrocław in 1990, Miss Poland in 1991, and later that year became the first Polish winner of the title in Tokyo. This win propelled her into an international modeling career. Kotlarska worked in New York, Milan, and Paris with esteemed designers like Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, and was featured in international issues of Vogue and Cosmopolitan.
Around this time, she married Jarosław Świątek, whom she had met during her initial pageants. They lived briefly in Manhattan before going back to Wrocław in 1993 to start a family and have a daughter.
By 1996, Kotlarska was managing motherhood, a growing career, and initial aspirations to move into acting. She was considered one of Poland’s most promising figures on the global stage.
The stalker
Years before Kotlarska’s fame, a man named Jerzy Lisiewski became aware of her as a young girl. As cited in the documentary by investigators, he first spotted her picture in a storefront and developed an instant fixation.
In the early 1990s, his attention grew from interest to obsession. He trailed her on her walk home from school, tried to talk to her, and loitered near her family’s house. Kotlarska consistently turned down his advances, but her rejections only fueled his stalking.
Even after she relocated overseas for work, Jerzy persisted in sending her letters—including one in which he proposed marriage, a letter she likely never saw.
A narrow escape: Flight 800
In July 1996, Agnieszka Kotlarska was getting ready for a photo shoot in Paris. While in Poland, her original plan was to stop in New York to meet the crew before flying to France. Her husband suggested she fly straight from Warsaw to Paris instead—a choice that saved her life.
Soon after, she discovered that TWA Flight 800, the plane she would have taken from New York to Paris, had blown up after takeoff over Long Island. Everyone on board died, including the photographers assigned to the shoot.
Extensive media coverage of the crash underscored her close brush with death. These news stories also drew Lisiewski’s notice, who then found her Wrocław address using public phone directories. At that period, Poland offered almost no legal protection against stalking, leaving Kotlarska with no official way to stop his worsening harassment.
The day of the murder
On Aug. 27, 1996, around 2:30 p.m., Lisiewski came to the house where Kotlarska lived with her husband and their young daughter. As the family was about to drive away, he approached, demanding to talk to her.
Świątek, alarmed, went to phone the police. Events unfolded rapidly. Lisiewski produced a knife and stabbed Świątek in the leg. When Kotlarska moved to shield her husband, the attacker turned the knife on her, inflicting multiple lethal stab wounds.
He then left the area, allegedly telling a bystander he had just killed someone and waiting peacefully for the police. Lisiewski was subsequently found guilty and received a 15-year prison term. Following his 2012 release, he was detained again in 2014 for another violent crime. He is not currently incarcerated.
After the court proceedings, Kotlarska’s husband and daughter relocated overseas, withdrawing from public attention. They have maintained a low profile and private life ever since.
Kotlarska’s killing sparked fresh public debate in Poland regarding stalking, violence against women, and the absence of relevant laws at the time—a dialogue the documentary revives almost 30 years on.
Stalking laws and Kotlarska’s lasting impact
Polish law defines stalking under Article 190a of the Penal Code. It is characterized as persistent harassment that induces fear, humiliation, or distress in the victim, or seriously invades their privacy. Penalties can extend to eight years, and if the stalking results in the victim’s suicide, the sentence may be as long as fifteen years. The legal term was formally added to Polish statute in June 2011.
To combat the dangers confronting victims, the Agnieszka Kotlarska Foundation (“AGA”) was established in 2022. A key project is the “Oasis of Peace,” a sanctuary that offers survivors therapy, mental health assistance, and self-defense classes. With these efforts, the foundation aims to preserve Kotlarska’s memory, tackle persistent harassment, and support those impacted by it.