Crime & Safety
Firearm, Fingerprint & DNA Experts Testify at Allan Kustok Murder Trial
Expert witnesses took up most of the fifth day of testimony.
Experts in firearms, fingerprints and DNA testified for hours at the Allan Kustok murder trial Thursday.
Also Thursday, defense attorney Rick Beuke asked Cook County Judge John Joseph Hynes to enter a column by the Southtown's Phil Kadner into the trial record.
In the column, the Kustoks' son, Zak Kustok was quoted as saying, “I’m here in support of my wife, Nicole,” who had testified Wednesday about Allan Kustok's interest in his son learning how to fire a gun.
"I'm not supporting my father," Zak Kustok said.
Beuke was apparently troubled by the column and told Judge Hynes, "Zak Kustok was a potential witness."
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"I know we didn't tell Mr. (Zak) Kustok it was a good idea to give an interview with the print media," Beuke said, telling how he was going to instruct other defense witnesses not to grant interviews.
"I would hope the state would do the same thing," he said.
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Prosecutor Jennifer Gonzalez countered that she saw no difference between the story about Zak Kustok's feelings and media accounts of his sister, Sarah Kustok, being in her dad's corner.
Judge Hynes said he would put those stories in the court record as well if Gonzalez wanted and told of his faith in the jury.
"I have observed this jury and they seem to be a diligent group that pays attention," Hynes said before calling them in and asking if they had been avoiding media coverage of the case. The entire jury said it had been following the judge's instructions.
Allan Kustok, 63, allegedly shot his wife, Anita "Jeanie" Kustok, in the face in September 2010 but claimed he was actually asleep at the time, according to testimony from an Orland Park police detective earlier in the trial.Allan Kustok said a gunshot woke him up and he discovered his wife was dead next to him in bed, the detective said.
After discovering his wife had been shot, Allan Kustok explained how he tried to mop up the bloody bed with towels, then picked up the revolver he found on Jeanie Kustok's chest and pointed it at his head, the detective said. Instead of shooting himself, the detective said, Allan Kustok turned the revolver away from his head and fired what bullets were left into an armoire.
Allan Kustok went on to say how he sat holding his dead wife's body, then put her in the front seat of his car and drove to Palos Community Hospital, the detective said.
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