ROSEMONT (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Convicted cult murderer Thomas Kokoraelis is a free man today after serving half of his 70-year sentence for the death of a 21-year-old woman.
Kokoraleis was convicted of the 1982 murder of Lorraine "Lorry" Borowski based on an accountability theory, which means that he was held accountable for the acts committed by other individuals – Andrew Kokoraleis and Edward Spreitzer – that resulted in Ms. Borowski's death.
The woman's family was aghast upon hearing the news. Brother Mark Borowski said the murder happened when he was 12 and is horrified that Kokoraleis is out.
"I am shaking at the thought," Mark Borowski said, through tears.
Andrew Kokoraleis, Thomas' brother, was convicted of the murders of Lorraine Borowski and Rose Davis and was sentenced to death and executed in 1999, the last execution in Illinois. Andrew Kokoraleis admitted to participating in Lorraine Borowski's abduction. He denied he was involved in her rape and murder but admitted he was present while she was raped and murdered. In 1986, he was sentenced to 70 years in prison but based on Illinois sentencing laws in effect when he was sentenced, Kokoraleis served 50 percent of his sentence and some time for a mandatory supervised release.
DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said he worked with Attorney General Kwame Raoul to prevent Kokoraleis from reentering society by having him civilly committed under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act but he did not meet the critieria to be held. The person must suffer from a mental disorder, and that mental disorder must make the individual dangerous such that it is substantially probable that the person will commit acts of sexual violence in order to be civically committed, Berlin's office noted.
"Mr. Kokoraleis was evaluated by extremely experienced psychologists and a psychiatrist who found he did not meet the necessary criteria — having a mental disorder that makes him violent and being highly likely to commit future acts of sexual violence — that would enable us to bring a petition to find him sexually violent under state law."
"For that reason, and because Mr. Kokoraleis has completed his sentence, state law requires that he be released from custody. However, according to state law, he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be expected to comply with all laws and regulations pertaining to sex offenders," Berlin added.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul said even though the days of the "Ripper Crawl" group are far in the past, the trauma still rests wi9th the family.
"As a father, my heart goes out to the families forever changed by an unimaginable loss, and I would like to commend the DuPage County State's Attorney for his dedication to fighting on behalf of the Borowski family," Raoul said.
