The Murders at Starved Rock

Person 1: At this time, I'll ask you to turn off your cellphones.

All witnesses, including members of the bar,

will take an oath of affirmation or truthfulness.

Person 2: I just need you both to raise your right hands, please.

Do you solemnly swear and affirm the testimony

you give at this hearing today will be the truth,

the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

-I do. -Mary Pruett: Yes.

Members of the board, it is our contention

that Mr. Weger's confession in this case was involuntary,

and was the product of physical and psychological duress.

At one point, Mr. Weger was kept awake for a period of 24 hours,

where he was repeatedly questioned off and on by his interrogators,

and subjected to lie...

David Raccuglia: I was incredibly excited

about filming at the clemency hearing in Chicago.

These are all things I had never heard.

You gotta realize I lived in the home on the prosecution side,

my father's side of the story.

Also, it was the first time I was going to be able to see

Chester's family.

Mary: I believe my brother is innocent.

He could never have done anything like this to anybody.

Just clear your mind, and open your hearts.

Things throughout the years have just been shoved aside.

David: Chester's sister spoke.

They asked one of the victim's family to speak.

I'm Diane Oetting,

and I am the firstborn granddaughter of Lillian Oetting.

We're the ones that never had the privilege to meet her

because on March 14th, 1960,

that opportunity was taken away from us

by the actions of Chester Weger.

George Oetting: Weger only deserves to remain quietly

incarcerated in his Illinois prison

until his final breath.

That was his sentence, and only then will our families

be able to establish some sense of personal closure

in this case.

Thank you for your consideration.

David: I think my father was last,

and he gave a pretty strong fire and brimstone kinda speech.

I have a disappointment

that surpasses all other disappointments in my professional career

that Chester Weger did not get the electric chair.

Today Miss Kelly asks you to give him a reprieve.

He already has his reprieve.

His reprieve is to be allowed to live,

and keep his soul intact for 45 years,

waiting to descend in hell, to burn forever.

Only then will justice prevail.

David: So, when the hearing was over, and they were walking out,

we were trying to get an interview with Chester's sisters.

I just wish that you would've told me that you were Raccuglia's son

because he has lied, he has did so many lies,

and if I would've known that, I wouldn't have even talked to you.

You're biased. That's all I have to say.

Elveta Milby: That's right. You're 100% all the way, sis.

If Raccuglia wants my brother to go to hell,

there should be a lot more to go to hell a-along with him.

That's all I can say.

David: Chester's family did not trust me in any way, shape, or form.

And I'm sure my father's passionate comments didn't help that day.

But I kept trying.

I wanted the truth, you know, and I was trying to let her know,

"Look, I know this looks strange, but, you know, what do you have to lose?"

Wh-- You know-- What's he gonna go to jail?

Wh-What am I trying to prove?

Why would I make a film to prove somebody's guilty?

-Crew Member 1: Okay, let's roll. -Crew Member 2: Still rolling.

I just thought of him as extremely guilty

until I started reading into this a little bit more.

I went to the clemency hearing, and heard her speak.

I said, "This is it. I'm gonna go full, full steam ahead with this thing."

When I finally did get Donna Kelly to agree

to an interview with John Drummond, not with me,

but I knew that was gonna change the whole dynamic

because I was, for the first time, really gonna get to listen to another side.

I was appointed to represent Mr. Weger in approximately 2001.

In reviewing the transcripts of the record on appeal,

I had determined

that there were a lot

of troublesome aspects to the case.

John Drummond: Obviously, you must've been convinced that

he might've been innocent.

I, I was convinced of that,

and I am convinced of that to this day.

Mr. Weger should not have been even charged

with the offense, let alone convicted.

There's a whole other side that really wasn't focused on

by the people who believe Chester Weger is guilty.

Donna Kelly's clemency petition

was motivated by the locals in this community.

Person: There he is. Hey, Bob.

Bob Petre: Hi, guys. What's going on?

Person: Ah, we just wanted to stop by,

and take a look at some of that stuff,

uh, you guys have put together.

Bob: I went over to Donna's office,

and she said, "Well, what's your interest in this case?"

And I said, "Well, he's innocent."

She says, "Can you prove it?" And I said, "Yes."

Been working on this Chester Weger case

for some 24 years now,

and I'm convinced in my mind that he's innocent.

One of the things that bothered me through,

through everything was,

was, how many people were involved, you know?

They had two different hair samples,

so they knew that there were at least two killers.

That was big for me.

Let's see what else-- if there's anything else on this board.

Oh, robbery was the motive in this case and nothing--

It always bothered me that nothing was robbed.

Th-the wedding rings were there, the jewelry was there.

Nothing was taken from the women.

Steve Stout: I'm just amazed at the people

who stand out there, and scream on the street corners

that Chester Weger's innocent, but never talked to me.

The people who are interested in learning everything

about the Starved Rock murders, they have that information in one place.

I've had people read the book, and say, "I believe that he didn't do it."

I go, "Which book did you read?"

When I read that book, I, I thought Chester, probably, did it,

but he didn't do it alone.

The next time I read the book,

I, I paid a little more attention to detail.

The people that Steve was thanking

for the information for the book

were the people that helped Chester be put away.

Just didn't seem fair and balanced.

What is Chester's motive? Theft?

I mean, it's, it's just ridiculous.

I was in the Committee to Free Chester Weger with Bob.

We put a lot of time into this.

A lot of time.

Dave Marsh, Bob Petre and Deedra Fox.

We were gonna solve the case best we could,

or at least bring it back into people's attention.

In my professional opinion, having a degree

in criminal justice

and forensic science,

there is no way

that Chester Weger is guilty.

David: I really got to listen, for the first time,

to the other side,

and I have to tell you, it wasn't all innuendo.

There was things that I learned,

that I researched, that I was shocked.

I talked to some jurors.

I, I talked to Nancy Porter.

That was eye-opening stuff, too.

And I asked her, I said,

"There's no way one person could've killed those three women."

That much I know," and she said,

"Yeah, the jury knew that too."

When's all this gonna come about now?

-David: Oh, it takes a long time. -Oh, I'm sure it does.

Nancy Porter: I don't think any of us were 100% sure.

The nagging doubt was because

the reason he-- we said he was guilty

was because he signed a confession.

As far as we were concerned there was no...

nothing to prove that he did it besides that.

Bob: She was not convinced that Chester did it.

That's why she was opposed, from the beginning, to the death penalty.

With the life sentence, if anything ever happened

that would prove that somebody else did it, he had a chance.

If we put him to death,

and somebody came forward, he was gone.

Bob: She said, "If he did it."

She kept saying, "If he did it."

And I said, "Well, wait a minute. What do you mean?"

You were on the jury."

And she said, "All I can say is,

"if they held that same trial today

"with the evidence that they had,

Chester Weger would be a free man."

Nancy: At the time, we believed in the officers,

but after we got out,

I think there are 12 people

that had doubts about their testimonies.

Uh...

I'd never heard of the-- those two officers

before the trial.

But, man, afterwards,

we heard plenty about them.

Bob: The people responsible for setting him up

was Billy Dummett and Wayne Hess.

They were gonna get somebody.

Dan Churney: People who think Weger is innocent,

I can understand where they're coming from.

My brother was a deputy sheriff in this county for 25 years,

and he worked with Dummett, and he told me,

this is exact quote, he said,

"Dummett was as crooked as the day was long."

I think that fuels this theory that Weger was framed.

Deedra Fox: It was political.

That was an election year.

The people of LaSalle County,