‘No mercy,’ declared note on accused shooter’s door: prosecutors

Krysztof Marek pledged that he’d show “no mercy.”

During a Saturday evening outburst of gun violence — the likes of which are rarely seen in the city — Marek stayed true to his word, according to Cook County prosecutors.

Marek, 66, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting rampage that left five people dead in a condo building in the 6700 block of West Irving Park.

Cook County Judge John Lyke ordered Marek held without bail during Marek’s bond court appearance Monday. Marek showed little emotion during the hearing, standing next to his attorney and keeping his eyes trained forward.

According to Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney James Murphy, the five left dead were: Tsvetanka Kostadinova and her husband Ivaylo Popov, both 43; David Hanik, 61, and his girlfriend Iskra Pourel-Popova, 65, who was Kostadinova’s mother; and Jolanta Topolska, 53, a neighbor who lived in a unit one floor above.

Kostadinova, Popov, Hanik and Pourel-Popova were settling down for a family dinner in unit 2D shortly before 5:30 p.m., though they were waiting for a fifth family member to join them, Murphy said. Dinner was on the table.

But instead of the last guest, Marek walked into the unit with a .40-caliber handgun and opened fire, killing all four as they were in the kitchen, Murphy said.

One floor up, in unit 3C, Topolska was with her son, who walked out the back to door to investigate the commotion while his mother remained on the couch, according to Murphy. The front door of the unit was unlocked.

After Topolska’s son left, Marek made his way up the stairs, walked in the front door to 3C and pointed the gun at Topolska, Murphy said. At that moment, her son walked back in, saw his mother being held at gunpoint and ran off. Marek then shot Topolska once in the abdomen.

After she was shot, Murphy said, Topolska was able to make her way out the back door of 3C and down a flight of stairs to the second floor. Marek caught up to her by following the blood trail. He shot her once more in the back of the head.

Murphy said another witness who lives in the building — an off-duty police officer — saw Marek enter unit 3C with a gun in his hand. The officer saw Marek follow Topolska and “knowing what was about to happen, [the officer] looked away, but then heard a gunshot,” according to the state’s attorney’s office proffer.

From there, Marek returned to his unit and put the gun on a coffee table. He walked outside toward Oak Park Avenue and greeted responding officers by telling them, “I think you’re looking for me, I did it,” Murphy said.

During a search of Marek’s unit, Murphy said, police found a note taped to his door, written in Polish, that translated to: “No Mercy!!! Remember, whatever s--- they do to you, you control it yourself not them!! Enough!! They have to pay for it!!”

Another note in his home, found Sunday, read: “Tomorrow!! No Mercy. Without any stupid hesitation!!! Remember who you are!! Remember what this piece of s--- is doing to you!! Enough!!”

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

According to the proffer, police also found “multiple cryptic letters” in his condo that addressed “issues with his neighbors.”

Before ordering Marek held without bail, Lyke said of the state’s attorney’s office proffer: “What I just heard is evil on steroids.”

Marek’s public defender said his client has lived in the condo building for the last 25 years and worked more than two decades as a cross-country truck driver. Marek has three adult children and six grandchildren.

Officers responded to the same condo building two months before the deadly encounter when Marek was accused of assaulting the son of one shooting victim. Police left without arresting Marek.

His neighbors described Marek’s behavior before the shooting as “spooky” and “unstable.”

A woman who lives in a neighboring condominium building said the man “was always very friendly” until about six months ago, when his demeanor changed dramatically. The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said “he snapped.”

Court records show that Marek was in deep debt, and that his finances had grown dire in recent years.

Records show that Marek had no criminal background before his arrest Saturday.