Kustok Held On $2 Million Bond In Wife's Murder
BRIDGEVIEW (CBS 2) -- They seemed like an ideal suburban family, but now, Allan Kustok, the father a former Northwestern Wildcats quarterback and a TV sports reporter, is being held on $2 million bond, charged with the murder of his wife of more than three decades.
Allan Kustok appeared in the Bridgeview courthouse dressed in prison blues and showed little emotion as bond was set at $2 million Friday morning, charged with first degree murder in his wife's death
The Kustok family had asked for bond to be set at $200,000 because they had raised $20,000, the ten percent of bond required to have Allan Kustok be freed from jail pending trial. But the judge denied that request.
Allan Kustok is accused of shooting his wife, Anita Jeanie Kustok, 58, in the face early Wednesday morning. Police said they were notified about the death at 7 a.m. Wednesday when they were contacted by Palos Community Hospital.
Prosecutors say Allan Kustok killed his wife and attempted to make it look like a suicide. But they said the fatal gunshot wound did not match Allan Kustok's version of events.
Sources say Allan Kustok even went so far as to bring his wife to Palos Community Hospital, and then told authorities he was awakened by gunfire in the couple's home. Grief-stricken, he reportedly cleaned his wife's face and the bedroom they shared, wrapped her in a white sheet and put her in his car.
Allan Kustok's defense attorney said he maintains his innocence.
Kustok has claimed that he heard a gunshot on Wednesday and then found his wife dead in their bed. He said he approached her, took a revolver out of her hand and threw it across the room. He has also claimed he wiped the blood from her face and then retrieved the gun and put it to his own head.
But prosecutors said he fired the gun into an armoire five times, emptying the revolver. They also said that he did not call 911 for 90 minutes after the shooting. Instead, he allegedly wrapped Anita Kustok in bedsheets and took her to the hospital, where staff called police.
The Kustok's children – Zak, a former Northwestern University quarterback; and Sarah, a sports reporter for Comcast Sports Net – appeared in court Friday in support of their father. They didn't speak to reporters, but did thank well-wishers for their support.
A family attorney spoke on their behalf after court.
"The Kustok children know and believe that their parents were true parents. The Kustok children know that their father could not have committed the acts that the state's accused him of," attorney Pete Rush said. "I ask that you all respect their privacy and remember that they are children and remember that their life has been torn apart.
Sources also say Allan Kustok said his wife was "a proud woman," too proud for ambulances, he told authorities. His spouse had already been dead for 90 minutes. Sources close to the investigation say authorities weren't buying his story.
Anita Kustok, a teacher at Central Elementary School in Riverside, also was the mother of Comcast SportsNet reporter Sarah Kustok and Zak Kustok. Both Zak and Sarah are former star athletes at Sandburg High School. Sarah played basketball at DePaul University, and Zak played quarterback for Northwestern University.
Comcast Sportsnet Chicago released a statement Thursday afternoon, saying, "We are all deeply saddened by this tragic news. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sarah and her family."
Anita Kustok's neighbor Mary Dowding said, "It's heartbreaking, devastating for all, for the kids, for the husband, for their extended family. I can't even fathom."
Dowding said there was never any indication of a problem between Anita and Allan Kustok.
"Nothing, never. I mean, we've lived by them for nine years. I've never heard them fight, argue, nothing," Dowding said.
A letter sent to parents of students at Central Elementary School in Riverside indicated Kustok, who goes by her middle name, was a teacher at the school.
"She is a beautiful person with a beautiful heart," said Principal Janice Limperis. "If anyone had a problem, she would find a positive way to look at it. We are devastated here. Her students are inconsolable. It's like losing a family member."
Limperis described Kustok as "vivacious" and "outgoing," and said she had been with the district for seven years. This was Kustok's first year at Central and she taught math and reading to 3rd- through 5th-grade students in a gifted program, Limperis said. Kustok previously taught at the district's Hollywood School, Limperis said.
A social worker and psychologist will be on hand to speak to Kustok's students on Thursday, the letter said.
"Jeanie is a beloved member of our Central family and our prayers and thoughts are with her husband and her two children," the letter said.
Steven Dowding said he's stunned his next-door neighbor of nearly a decade, Allan Kustok, is charged with murdering his wife.
"I was talking to Al Sunday or Monday, cutting grass and he never let on to anything or said anything," he told CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot. "I didn't notice anything different about him."
Published reports say Allan Kustok gave his wife a gun this summer for their 34th wedding anniversary.
CBS 2's Mai Martinez, Suzanne Le Mignot and Mike Puccinelli, and the Sun-Times Media Wire, contributed to this report.
