UMVA has learned that a three‑decade‑old murder in southern Illinois finally cracked open, as forensic genealogy unearthed the killer behind Randy Gail Sperino’s brutal death.
Sperino, 34, was discovered on a cold November night in 1993, her body crumpled in a field after suffering massive blunt‑force trauma to the head. For years the case lingered in darkness, haunting her family and the detectives who chased every fading lead.
Decades of re‑examined evidence and countless interviews yielded nothing—until investigators turned to a cutting‑edge DNA technique that maps family ties through genetic clues. That breakthrough illuminated a path straight to Albert L. “Buddy” Zigler, 70, of Caseyville.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Madison County State’s Attorney filed first‑degree murder charges on Tuesday, describing the arrest as a pivotal stride toward long‑awaited justice.
Witnesses and court records now allege Zigler seized Sperino in Granite City, bludgeoned her with a metal bat or steel pipe inside his home, and discarded her body in the remote field where she was later found.
The sheriff who first sensed the promise of forensic genealogy years before the tool became mainstream pursued the technology relentlessly, refusing to let the case slip into permanent oblivion.
Prosecutors are demanding Zigler remain locked up pending trial, emphasizing the violent, non‑probationable nature of the offenses.
At his initial hearing, a public defender was appointed, and a detention hearing has been scheduled for the following afternoon.
