Mackowiak found guilty of double murder in Seneca

OTTAWA, Ill. — Four and a half years after he was arrested for the brutal killings of Aloysius and Catherine Twardowski in their rural Seneca home, Keith Mackowiak was found guilty Wednesday afternoon of two counts of first degree murder.

The jury deliberated the case, which started formally on Feb. 7, for two hours.

The 44-year-old Mackowiak sat motionless, his face blank, as Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan, Jr. polled each juror as to his or her verdict. Some panel members stared at the defendant as they confirmed their decision while others avoided looking in his direction.

In the packed gallery, soft sobs could be heard from several Twardowski family members as many realized their long wait for justice was finally at an end.

Following the verdict announcement, La Salle County State's Attorney Brian Towne asked Ryan to immediately sentence Mackowiak to prison because first-degree murder is statutorily an automatic life sentence in Illinois.

The judge, however, deferred sentencing until 1 p.m. Thursday, April 12.

After meeting with the "relieved and emotional" family, Towne reflected on the case that started in July 2007 with the discovery of two bound and beaten bodies in a ranch-style home outside Seneca.

"There was 9,300 pages of discovery in this case, so you can see this prosecution was a team effort by many dedicated people," said Towne. He praised assistant prosecutor Gregg Sticka, his office staff, the many police and detectives who worked the case, and the dozens of witnesses who testified during the trial.

Towne said the verdict was a bittersweet one because his office had originally and aggressively pursued the double murder case for a death penalty verdict. That all changed when the state abolished capital punishment last summer.

"As state's attorney, I follow the law and respect the law," said Towne. "But I will admit, as a private person, I am disappointed that the death penalty will not be available for a sentence (in this case)."

"That man (Mackowiak) does not deserve the right to live among us."

After their dismissal, the jury — five women and seven men — were escorted from the courtroom to their cars in the parking lot protected by an entourage of county and court officials.

Before the case was given to the jury at 1:08 p.m. Wednesday, Sticka and defense counsel Gerald Kielian each made closing statements reviewing the many details presented at trial.

Sticka took the jury back through the testimony of dozens of witnesses and reminded the panel how the lives of the Twardowskis and Mackowiak intersected in an explosion of senseless violence.

Using the defendant's own words against him, Sticka spoke of the autopsy reports that proved Mackowiak's recorded confession of how he struck Al Twardowski "over and over and over" again with a shovel until it broke into two pieces.

Kielian, in an attempt to place doubt with the jury, said the real killer was Mackowiak's friend and Seneca next door neighbor David Dulabhan.

"The real tragedy of this trial is that David Dulabhan is being given a free pass on the murders of the Twardowskis," said Kielian. "He should be here sitting where my client is today."

It was Towne who had the last words before the jury was handed the case. In his rebuttal closing, the prosecutor dramatically explained his strong conviction of Mackowiak's sole responsibility for the crime.

In a voice that at times reached almost to a shout, Towne said to the jury, "There are no leaps of faiths in this case. Everything Keith Mackowiak said in his confession matches up to the evidence and testimony presented during this trial. Find him guilty."

This story was provided to the Morris Daily Herald courtesy of the The Times in Ottawa.