13 hours ago
"Starved Rock Killer" Chester Weger dies at 86, attorney confirms
Chester Weger, most infamously known as the "Starved Rock Killer," has died at age 86.
His longtime attorney Andy Hale confirmed his death, saying he died peacefully Sunday, surrounded by family.
Weger became notorious after he was convicted in the murder of a woman in the Starved Rock State Park in 1960. He confessed to killing three women there when he was 21 years old, while he was a dishwasher at the lodge.
The bodies of Lillian Oetting, Mildred Lindquist and Frances Murphy were found partially nude and beaten to death in St. Louis Canyon in the state park. Eight months after, Weger told police he murdered three women from the Chicago suburbs.
Weger was tried for Oetting's murder and convicted; the murders of Murphy and Lindquist did not go to trial.
He later claimed he had been coerced into confessing, telling CBS News Chicago in 2010 that he had been threatened by the sheriff.
Weger was sentenced to life in prison for Oetting's death. He first applied for parole in 1972. Twenty-four of his parole requests were denied until 2019; he was released from prison in 2020.
Since his release, Weger had attempted to get a new trial for Oetting's murder, sticking to his claims of innocence. His request for a new trial was denied last week.
Please note: The above story is from a previous report
