Man convicted of killing ex-girlfriend gets life in jail

July 21, 2009 Steven Zirko was convicted of shooting and stabbing Mary Lacey, the mother of his twin boys, at Lacey's home in Glenview in 2004. He also shot 60- year-old Margaret Ballog.

The victims' relatives were relieved to hear Zirko's sentence but they struggle with the loss.

"My mom will never know my kids. My kids, when I have kids, are never going to know their grandmother. And it's terrible you know. I mean, it's just, I don't even know how to explain it, it's just something that i feel empty inside sometimes because of it," said Raymond Lacey.

"We're glad it's over. We can hopefully get some closure out of this, but it's never going to be the same," said Thomas Ballog, victims' relative.

The victims' relatives say they're disappointed Zirko did not receive the death penalty.

Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.