Monday hearing set ahead of Chester Weger ‘mini-trial’ in 1960 Starved Rock murders case

Chester Weger’s upcoming “mini-trial” remains set for May 12 – for now, anyway – but attorneys in the case first will argue Monday about whether a last-minute piece of evidence can be presented.

Weger, 86, spent almost six decades in prison for the murder of Lillian Oetting, one of three women fatally bludgeoned in 1960 at Starved Rock State Park. He continues to assert his innocence and will have a shot at a three-day hearing scheduled May 12 to 14.

First, however, the judge must rule on whether another a piece of evidence can be squeezed in.

La Salle County Judge Michael C. Jansz scheduled a May 5 hearing on whether Weger’s lawyers can introduce a video (recorded in 2010) of a presentation made by the late Anthony C. Raccuglia, who prosecuted Weger.

Weger’s lawyers said the video shows Raccuglia making “several stunning remarks” about the case against Weger. In the recording, they said, Raccuglia acknowledged doubts about the validity of Weger’s confession, which Raccuglia said “made no sense.”

In response, the special prosecutor said Weger’s lawyers cherry-picked Raccuglia’s remarks and that Raccuglia never wavered on the issue of Weger’s guilt. The special prosecutor also said the video isn’t new evidence and Raccuglia, who died in 2019, cannot be cross-examined about the recording.