A Tempe, Ariz., man, who police say flew to Chicago last weekend with a plan to kill his estranged wife, had repeatedly threatened the woman and their teenage daughter with death and was under a court order to stay away from them, according to court documents and attorneys.
Michael Piskorek, 38, formerly an emergency room nurse at Palos Community Hospital, Palos Heights, was charged with conspiracy to kill Eileen Piskorek, 37, of Bridgeview, with a .357 Magnum he allegedly sent to his girlfriend`s daughter in Chicago a week earlier.
Documents from the pending divorce case showed that Michael Piskorek was unhappy with the $650 child support payment he was ordered to make each month and the visitation schedule with his three children. Court documents showed he owed $10,000 in missed child support payments.
The divorce case probably provided local authorities with clues to the man`s motive in the alleged plot.
Andy Knott, spokesman for the Cook County state`s attorney, said authorities knew of Piskorek`s motive, but he would not comment further.
Authorities arrested Michael Piskorek on Sunday at O`Hare International Airport and at a subsequent news conference, State`s Atty. Jack O`Malley called the alleged crime ”a cold-blooded plot to commit a vicious murder.”
The bizarre and involved plot allegedly included Piskorek`s girlfriend, Charlotte McElree, 39, also of Tempe, who was expected to arrive in Chicago within a few days for a bond hearing, officials said. She was arrested in Tempe and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. In addition to the conspiracy charge, Michael Piskorek also was charged with attempted murder.
Eileen Piskorek had filed a motion for a protective order in Cook County Circuit Court in November 1990, shortly after she filed for divorce after 16 years of marriage. In it, Piskorek is depicted as a troubled man who had repeatedly threatened to kill his wife and oldest daughter, who was then 15.
Eileen Piskorek also said in the petition that her husband had verbally and physically harmed her on at least seven occasions during 1990. According to the petition, he threatened to shoot his wife and their daughter in September 1990.
The petition also says that Michael Piskorek was ”under probation at work for use of controlled substances . . . has attempted suicide two times in the past, and maintains a gun collection. . . .”
Michael Piskorek was working at Palos Community Hospital at the time of the filing in late 1990. A hospital spokesman confirmed that Piskorek worked there as an emergency room nurse from October 1984 through May 1991, when he resigned voluntarily. The spokesman would not comment about Piskorek`s work habits or confirm that he was ever placed on probation.
Eileen Piskorek could not be reached for comment.
A Cook County Circuit Court judge issued an agreed protective order on Dec. 4, 1990, which barred Michael Piskorek from his home. He was ordered to stay away from his wife and children except for Saturday visitations, according to court records.
On June 1, 1991, Bridgeview police charged him with violating that order and battery after allegedly forcing his way into the home and slapping his daughter, court records show. That case is pending.
At the time of his arrest on the battery charge, Piskorek was living in Orland Hills, according to the police report.
Piskorek allegedly sent a .357 Magnum with the serial number filed off and 12 rounds of ammunition via United Parcel Service to Jennifer McElree, the 19-year-old daughter of Piskorek`s girlfriend, police said. The teenager lives in the Chicago area, police said.
Not expecting the package, the teenager notified Bridgeview Police after she received it on Dec. 26 and told police of Michael Piskorek`s plans.
Authorities later tape-recorded a conversation in which Charlotte McElree gave her daughter specific instructions about meeting Piskorek at the airport on Sunday.
Piskorek`s plan was to have been carried out during a seven-hour stay in Chicago, officials said. He allegedly purchased two one-way tickets under the aliases ”Harold Johnson” and ”Craig Robinson.” According to authorities, Piskorek, who arrived at O`Hare at 1 a.m. Sunday, used one of the tickets to fly to Chicago. He had planned to use the second to fly back to Tempe at 8 a.m.
But his plan was foiled when Jennifer McElree arrived at O`Hare wearing a tape-recording device, and authorities set up video cameras nearby.
On the videotape, Piskorek is shown unlocking the trunk of his car and reaching for a package that was supposed to contain the gun he sent in advance, according to the state`s attorney. Piskorek was arrested by Bridgeview officers and state`s attorney investigators as he reached for the bag, officials said.
Piskorek was being held without bond in Cook County Jail. If convicted, he could face up to 7 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, and up to 30 years for the attempted murder charge, according to the state`s attorney.
