CHICAGO

Man Accused of Killing 5 Chicago Neighbors Left Note on Door: Prosecutors

The judge called the man's actions "evil on steroids"

A 66-year-old man accused of fatally shooting five of his neighbors on Chicago's Northwest Side over the weekend left a note on his door with a haunting message, prosecutors said in court Monday.

Marek Krysztof 66
Chicago Police

"No mercy," written in Polish, was the message on Krysztof Marek's door, prosecutors said.

"Remember, whatever s--- they do to you, you control it yourself, not them" the message continued. "Enough!! They have to pay for it!"

A second note posted on his apartment door also read "Tomorrow! No mercy. Without any stupid hesitation! Remember what this piece of s--- is doing to you!! Enough!!" according to prosecutors. 

Marek, of the 6700 block of West Irving Park Road, was charged with five felony counts of first degree murder, Chicago police said in a statement Monday morning. He was ordered held without bond hours later by a judge who called his actions "evil on steroids."

Prosecutors said the horrific killings were planned, and not a random act of violence.

Police said Marek went into a neighbor’s apartment at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday and fatally shot four people as they ate dinner.

"For reasons we yet know don’t know, he opened fire on all four of those individuals, killing them all," CPD First Deputy Supt. Anthony Riccio said.

Officials said Marek then went to the the building’s third floor, where he confronted another resident and shot her. Police said Monday that the victims were a 61-year-old male, a 65-year-old-female, a 30 to 35-year-old female, a 53-year-old female and a 40 to 45-year-old male.

All five were taken to area hospitals where they were pronounced dead, police said Monday.

The Cook County medical examiner's office identified two of the victims over the weekend: 53-year-old Jolanta Topolska, who died early Sunday, and Tsvetanka Kostadinova, of an unknown age, who was pronounced dead Saturday evening. 

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Further details, including the identities of the three other victims, were not immediately available. 

"It definitely wasn’t random. He lives in the building, he’s lived there for 15 years. He knows all the victims, but he’s not talking," Riccio said.

Riccio said the man, later identified as Marek, was a retired construction worker whose neighbors described him as having “anger management issues.”

He had a history of complaints from other residents, including noise complaints and "exchanging dirty looks," officials said. 

"We don’t know what set him off [Saturday]," Riccio said. "Most of the occupants inside the building have had problems with him in the past, but certainly nothing of this magnitude."

Riccio said there was no forced entry to the apartments. A handgun was used in the shooting and police were looking into how it was obtained. 

Prosecutors on Monday said Marek approached police after the shooting and said "I think you're looking for me... I did it."

Marek's public defender said in court that he was married with three children and six grandchildren, but did not offer any information on a motive or possible defense. 

Prosecutors said a gun was recovered from a coffee table in Marek's apartment. 

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