Piano Man Stands Trial For Double-Murder

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jun 5, 2009 5:20PM

No Billy Joel jokes here as a traveling piano man is standing trial in a brutal 2004 double murder. Steven L. Zirko is accused of killing his then-girlfriend, Mary Lacey, and her mother, Margaret Ballog. In a strange and horrible twist, prosecutors allege that Zirko initially tried to hire someone from his anger management class to kill Lacey for him but eventually decided to murder her himself. Zirko's attorney, Barry A. Spector, said, "There is no direct evidence connecting him to the murders, and we're anxious to finally have a jury hear all the evidence." Security around the trial is heightened because extended families of both the victims and Zirko are planning on attending. [Sun-Times]