$20K reward in Schiller Park killings found after 2011 bar fire
Horseshoe Inn bartender Wendy Bonder and tavern owner George Markopoulos were found bludgeoned to death after a suspicious fire at the Schiller Park bar in 2011.
On Saturday, nearly eight years to the day of the brutal slayings, a $20,000 reward is being offered for the capture of their killer.
“Somebody knows something or saw something,’’ said Schiller Park Detective Frank DeSimone, who personally knew Markopoulos and remembered him as a “great guy.’’ “They’ve got to call us. In my gut … somebody knows.’’
The blaze tore through the Horseshoe Inn, 9639 W. Irving Park Road, in the early hours of Jan. 27, 2011.
The village is asking for tips and is now offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case, which has stymied the department for years, though DeSimone would not call it a “cold” case.
“It’s not cold yet,’’ DeSimone said.
Markopoulos’ body was found on a cot in a first-floor back office, where he would occasionally sleep. An autopsy determined Markopoulos died of blunt head trauma, and the fire was ruled arson.
There were no signs of fire in the office, and an autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner’s office did not find any indication that Markopoulos, 67, had inhaled smoke or had been burned.
Four days later, as crews were cleaning up, they found the body of Bonder, 61, of Schiller Park, buried underneath 3 feet of ceiling debris that fell while firefighters were dousing the flames.
She had been tending bar that night.
An autopsy determined Bonder, who was also a regular patron of the tavern, died of blunt head trauma from an assault, and her death was ruled a homicide as well, the medical examiner’s office said.
The victims’ relationship didn’t extend beyond platonic co-workers, said DeSimone, who declined to offer insight into a motive or say if anything was missing.
DeSimone, a 20-year Schiller Park police veteran, remembered that night because it was his first shift as a detective. About 2 a.m., patrol officers saw smoke and rushed to the bar to try to help, but it was already engulfed in flames and too dangerous to go inside, he said.
The tavern had been crowded with about 15 people that Thursday night, a typical evening for the neighborhood bar.
Detectives re-interviewed the customers, and no one reported anything unusual had taken place before the attacks or the fire that was set to cover up the homicides, DeSimone said. There was no video surveillance at the bar. No arrests have ever been made, and no other similar attacks have happened that are thought to be connected.
During a candlelight vigil about a year after their deaths, the victims’ memories were honored and Markopoulos was remembered as being a passionate and longtime supporter of community activities.
Anyone with information should call the Schiller Park police tip line, 844-SPPDTIP (844-777-3847).