One of Chicago's most notorious convicted murderers, a member of the Satanic group the Ripper Crew , is now living in Peoria. Kokoraleis is not on parole, which means he is not subject to hour monitoring by an ankle monitor, but Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria told the Journal Star he is required to check in with the police department quarterly. More: Serial killers have plagued all corners of Illinois. These are some of the most infamous. Kokoraleis spent 35 years in prison for his role in the crimes committed by the Ripper Crew in the early s.
The group kidnapped, raped and mutilated up to 20 women, prosecutors said, according to USA Today. Kokoraleis was convicted of killing Linda Sutton and year-old Lorry Borowski, a real estate worker who was raped and mutilated in Chicago in Despite confessing to police that he had played a role in the two slayings, Kokoraleis later recanted his confession, claiming he was coerced by police and ultimately admitted to being present for the murders.
Police said that Kokoraleis, along with his older brother Andrew Kokoraleis and Edward Spreitzer and Robin Gecht, raped, murdered, mutilated and, in some cases, ate their victims as part of gruesome satanic rituals in the Chicagoland area in the early s.
Prosecutors said that the Ripper Crew would stalk their victims in the Chicagoland area and torture them by cutting off one or both of their breasts, before sexually abusing and murdering them with knives and axes, according to USA Today. Kokoraleis also told investigators that the attic of the group's ringleader, Robin Gecht, was the site of satanic rituals that included cannibalism.
More: Reputed 'Ripper Crew' member, killer released from Canton prison. Thomas Kokoraleis was sentenced to life in prison for his part in the Borowski killing but had his original conviction thrown out due to a legal error. He then pleaded guilty to Borowski's killing and was re-sentenced to 70 years in prison. However, Kokoraleis only served 35 years of his year sentence due to good behavior while in prison.
