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ELMHURST – A member of the "Chicago Ripper Crew," a group of men suspected of the abductions and ritualistic killings of several women in the early 1980s, is being released from prison in September.
Ripper Crew member Thomas Kokoraleis, convicted of the May 15, 1982, murder of Lorraine "Lorry" Ann Borowski in Elmhurst, is to be released on parole Sept. 29. He will serve three years on mandatory supervised release until his sentence is complete Sept. 30, 2020.
Court documents state Borowski was walking to work at the RE/MAX real estate office at Route 83 and St. Charles Road in Elmhurst the morning of May 15, 1982, when a witness recalled seeing "a physical struggle between a man and a woman taking place immediately next to [a] gray or silver car" at about 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the office. Donald Stibbe, Borowski's employer, reported to Elmhurst police his discovery of shoes and personal effects in front of the RE/MAX office.
Borowski's remains were discovered Oct. 10, 1982, at the Clarendon Hills Cemetery in Darien, according to court documents. Her left breast was absent, and there was evidence that indicated trauma from an ice pick, documents state. Borowski was 21 at the time of her death.
Kokoraleis was taken into custody by DuPage County Sheriff's deputies on Nov. 10, 1982, when he was 22 years old, and admitted into Illinois Department of Corrections custody Sept. 13, 1984.
He was sentenced to 70 years in prison for the murder, but he was only required by law to serve 50 percent of the sentence, an Illinois Department of Corrections spokesperson said. The time he served in the DuPage County Jail prior to sentencing counted toward his total time served, the spokesperson said.
He is currently being held at Illinois River Correctional Center in Canton.
The "Ripper Crew" was made up of Kokoraleis, his brother Andrew Kokoraleis, Eddie Spreitzer and Robin Gecht. Andrew Kokoraleis was executed in March 1999, according to media reports at the time. Spreitzer received a death sentence, which was commuted to life in prison by former Gov. George Ryan. Spreitzer is at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, and he is ineligible for discharge. Gecht is serving time at Menard Correctional Center in Menard, with a projected parole date of Oct. 13, 2042.
Among the men's string of victims was Linda Sutton, who was abducted and murdered in May 1981 when she was 26 years old, documents state. Media reports at the time of Spreitzer's trial state the Ripper Crew raped and mutilated Sutton. Her body was found in June 1981 in a field near the Brer Rabbit Motel near Villa Park, documents state.
The DuPage County Victim/Witness Assistance Unit has notified the Borowski family of Kokoraleis's upcoming release, said Paul Darrah, communications manager for the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.
"The family is not happy about his pending release from prison. We do not think he has served enough time for the heinous crimes he committed. We still miss Lorry every day, and nothing can bring her back to us," a spokesperson for the family said in an email.
Elmhurst Police Chief Michael Ruth also expressed concerns about Kokoraleis's release.
"[Kokoraleis] will be roaming our streets again," Ruth said.
Kokoraleis had lived in Villa Park, according to court documents, but Darrah and the Illinois Department of Corrections spokesperson said they could not confirm where Kokoraleis will be living after his release.