# DNA Breakthrough Cracks 33-Year Illinois Cold Case Murder

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/forensic-files-unsealed-6989771/dna-breakthrough-cracks-33-year-illinois-cold-case-murder
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/forensic-files-unsealed-6989771/dna-breakthrough-cracks-33-year-illinois-cold-case-murder.md
Podcast: [Forensic Files Unsealed](https://stenobird.com/podcast/forensic-files-unsealed-6989771)
Published: 2026-09-04T19:20:18+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/dna-breakthrough-cracks-33-year-illinois-cold-case-murder--74906787
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74906787/forensic_genealogy_catches_a_1993_killer.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1779

## Resource

This episode details a significant breakthrough in a thirty-three-year-old cold case from Illinois involving the 1993 murder of Randy Gail Sperino. Law enforcement recently utilized forensic genealogical DNA technology to identify and charge Albert "Buddy" Zigler with first-degree murder after decades of stagnant leads. The seventy-year-old suspect allegedly admitted to fatally beating the victim and abandoning her body in a rural field. Prosecutors credited the persistence of investigators and modern scientific advancements for finally securing an arrest in the grisly case. This development offers a long-awaited sense of justice for the victim’s family after the investigation remained unresolved for more than three decades. The report underscores how emerging genetic tools are becoming essential for solving historical crimes that were previously considered unsolvable. This episode includes AI-generated content.

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## Transcript

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