Violence Against Women: Stalker Kenneth Seplak Kills Woman's Date In Chicago Shooting, Police Claim

A 37-year-old man named Kenneth S. Seplak was charged Wednesday with shooting and killing a man dating the woman he was supposedly stalking in suburban Chicago, according to local authorities. Seplak allegedly followed the victim to his car Friday after seeing him attend a movie with the woman and shot him.

Seplak was charged with first-degree murder in the death of 30-year-old David E. Gorski. Associate Judge George Strickland of Lake County reportedly ordered Seplak to be held on a $3-million bond, citing evidence that he had planned the attack.

Gorski had left the movie separately from the woman Seplak had allegedly been stalking because they took different cars, a representative for the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Christopher Covelli told local reporters.

Lake County prosecutor Lisa LeBoeuf cited GPS records from Seplak’s phone in court Wednesday that show Seplak had indeed been at the movie theater at the same time as Gorski and the woman. It additionally showed Seplak visited the home of a friend after he left the location where Gorski was found dead.

When local detectives went to that residence, the friend surrendered a .38-caliber handgun along with bullets to the authorities. Forensic results revealed that the gunshot residue from the weapon was also found on Seplak.

Local police officers were dispatched near the location of the movie theater in the Chicago suburban of Libertyville in Lake County, which is roughly 40 miles north of city center, after receiving a call about a body spotted slouched over inside a car. They rushed Gorski to a local hospital after finding him unresponsive in the car, but he was pronounced dead shortly upon arrival. Garcia was killed by a single shot that went through his right arm and into his chest, according to the local coroner's office.

Police reportedly found Seplak Saturday at his home.

Police had been aware of at least one other incident in which Seplak had been accused of stalking the same woman at her house, Covelli said.

Defense attorney Steven McCollum called Seplak a “very steady guy” with no criminal history in court Wednesday.

“Never missed work or anything. Now, he lives with his parents, taking care of his parents. His father's got some medical problems, and so he's been helping them." McCollum said.

The city of Chicago reportedly witnessed 11 killings on Christmas Day, highlighting a year in which more than 700 homicides were reported throughout the city. Chicago hasn't seen such a deadly year since 1998 when 704 homicides were reported.