Inmate
Chester Weger, dubbed as the Starved Rock Killer, will finally walk out of prison after almost 60 years of serving his life sentence. In this photo, an inmate holds onto a fence during the Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, April 23, 2006. Getty Images/ Mario Tama

KEY POINTS

  • Chester Weger, also called the Starved Rock Killer, will finally be a free man later this week after nearly six decades behind bars
  • Weger was charged in 1961 for the killings of three grandmothers at the Illinois Starved Rock Park
  • The victims' granddaughters have publicly opposed Weger's release

Almost 60 years after he was put behind bars for the killing of a Chicago woman, Chester Weger is set to walk free on Friday. However, the granddaughters of the slain women in the triple-killing case expressed dismay over Weger’s release.

According to the Associated Press, LaSalle County’s state attorney said the granddaughters of Mildred Lindquist, 50, Frances Murphy, 47, and Lillian Oetting, 50 publicly expressed their opposition to Weger’s release this week.

Weger’s scheduled release came after he was finally granted parole three months earlier. It was his 24th parole attempt after being convicted in 1961 for the killing of Oetting. He was 21 at the time of his conviction.

In March 1960, the bodies of Murphy, Oetting, and Lindsquist were found at the Starved Rock State Park. The three women were hiking before their remains were discovered near the St. Louis Canyon. The bodies were partially nude, bound by a cord, and battered to death.

The cord used the victims’ hands were traced back to the Starved Rock Lodge, the place where Weger worked at that time as a dishwasher. Weger, who is infamously dubbed as the Starved Rock Killer, initially confessed that he killed the women but later, he said he was forced to confess to the killings that he did not commit.

Weger was only convicted for the murder of Oetting and was sentenced to life in prison. According to the Daily Mail, he was no longer charged for the killing of the two other women due to his life sentence.

Instead of Friday, Weger was supposed to be up for release shortly after he was granted parole in November. However, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul ordered an evaluation to ensure that Weger will no longer commit sexual crimes once he gets out of jail. Weger was cleared after the evaluation.

After claiming innocence, Weger, who will turn 81 this year, has since maintained that he did not commit the crimes. He also insisted since then that he was fed with information by investigators handling the case.

However, prosecutors said he had too much knowledge about the crime, the Chicago Tribune reported. William Jansen, who assisted at the time of the investigation on the Starved Rock killings, told the outlet recently that he believes Weger should not be set free.

In a 2016 interview with the Tribune, Weger said he would rather “stay in prison the rest of my life to prove my innocence.” His attorneys said Weger qualifies for medical coverage as a veteran and he will also receive Social Security benefits.

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