Defense Grills Blood Spatter Expert in Kustok Trial

Defense lawyers attempted to poke holes in the testimony of a blood spatter expert Wednesday at the trial of an Orland Park man accused of fatally shooting his wife in 2010.

Allan Kustok, 63, is charged with killing his wife, Anita "Jeanie" Kustok by shooting her in the face with a .357-caliber revolver as she slept in their bed.

Rod Englert spent a second day on the stand under cross-examination Wednesday. His previous day's testimony attempted to show that the blood spatter patterns on Allan Kustok's clothes and glasses could only have been caused by high-velocity impact -- the kind produced by a gunshot wound.

Kustok claims he was out of the room when heard the shot, then returned to find his wife dead. He admits to handling the .357 magnum and firing five shots into a bedroom armoire.

Defense attorney Laura Morask grilled Englert on the things he may have missed, asking him why a pillowcase showing a dark spot was not chemically tested for soot from a weapon being fired.

She also chided Englert for relying on the detectives' interpretation of the medical examiner's determinations, rather than checking what was actually included in the report.

At least twice Wednesday, the judge had to remind Morask question Englert and not argue with him while he was on the stand.

The Kustok children, Zac and Sarah, have both been subpoenaed to testify in the case. Sarah may take the stand Thursday.

Defense lawyers are expected to present expert witnesses in blood spatter and ballistics next week.

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