DNA Breakthrough Leads to Arrest in Grisly 33-Year-Old Illinois Cold Case

DNA breakthrough leads to arrest in grisly 33-year-old Illinois cold case

For more than three decades, the murder of Randy Gail Sperino haunted investigators in southern Illinois — a cold case centered on a young woman beaten to death and left in a rural field while her killer seemingly vanished without a trace.

Family DNA leads to charge 33 years after Madison County killing | Morning Post email newsletter

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DNA breakthrough leads to arrest in grisly 33-year-old cold case investigators never gave up on

A 1993 cold case murder in southern Illinois is allegedly solved after forensic genealogy DNA led to first-degree murder charges against a 70-year-old man.

Forensic DNA Breakthrough Revives 33-Year-Old Madison County Murder

EDWARDSVILLE/GRANITE CITY - Madison County prosecutors on Friday, May 22, 2026, charged Albert Lee “Buddy” Zigler, 70, with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the 1993 killing of Randy Gail Sperino, a case that authorities said had remained unresolved for more than three decades.The charges were announced Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at the Madison County Administration Building boardroom by Madison County State's Attorney Thomas Hai…

Madison County Officials Announce Arrest in 1993 Murder

This morning, Madison County State's Attorney Tom Haine announced the Friday arrest of 70-year-old Albert Lee Zigler on two counts of First Degree Murder (Class M felony) in the 1993 murder of Randi Gail Sperino.

‘I finally know who did this’: Arrest made in 33-year-old cold case murder

Investigators say forensic genealogy DNA helped identify the man accused of killing a woman found in a roadside ditch stripped of clothing near Granite City in 1993.