Ex Beat Doctor With Baseball Bat Before Shooting Her: Prosecutors

BARRINGTON, IL — A 46-year-old Barrington man beat a Vernon Hills doctor with a baseball bat Sunday before fatally shooting her in his townhome while their 3-year-old child was present, prosecutors said Wednesday.

William R. Zientek, of the 400 block of West Russell Street, has been remanded to the Cook County Jail after a detention hearing. Zientek is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting of his estranged girlfriend, Olga Duchon, of the 800 block of Sagatuck Trail in Vernon Hills.

Zientek and Duchon have a 3-year-old child together, according to media reports.

Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Mack said the two ended their relationship in 2021. At that time, Duchon filed an order of protection, which required Zientek to surrender his firearms and lead to the revocation of his Firearm Owner’s Identification card, according to the Daily Herald.

A gun, which was reported stolen by Zientek, was used in Sunday's fatal shooting, Mack said during the detention hearing.

Zientek's lawyer, Thomas Glassgow, is claiming his client acted in self-defense. He said Duchon pointed the gun at Zientek, according to media reports.

ABC 7 is reporting an investigation by Barrington police shows Zientek hit Duchon in the back of the head twice with a baseball bat before shooting her in the stomach.

Duchon died at a suburban hospital after police were called to the townhome on West Russell Street in Barrington at about 5:40 p.m. Sunday. Preliminary results from an autopsy show a single gunshot wound to the chest killed Duchon, of the 800 block of Sagatuck Trail in Vernon Hills, according to the Lake County Coroner's Office.

Neighbors told ABC 7 Chicago the man who lived at the townhome shared a daughter with Duchon. A next-door neighbor said they never heard a gunshot but did hear a toddler crying. Shortly after, "the police started showing up," Juliana Etling told ABC 7.

Police have referred to the fatal shooting as a "domestic-related incident between family members."

Hours before she went to visit the Barrington townhome, Deuchon spoke at a Ukrainian Medical Association of North America meeting, a doctor told NBC Chicago. The meeting was held in Wheeling, according to media reports.

Duchon founded HLS Endocrinology in Mundelein and completed her endocrinology training at the University of Chicago at the time of the COVID Pandemic. She joined Northwestern Medicine after completing her fellowship, returning to practice first at Crystal Lake and Huntley locations before moving "closer to home and family in Mundelein," according to the HLS Endocrinology website.

Duchon left Northwestern last summer but "remained affiliated with our organization as a member of our medical staff and continued to treat patients independently," according to statement from Northwestern.

"We are learning about this tragic event in real time and we are devastated to hear this news. Our sympathies go out to her family during this difficult time," the statement read.

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