NOTA BENE: Closing arguments set for May 28:
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BACKGROUND: "Chester Otto Weger (born March 3, 1939)m is an American man who was convicted in 1961 of the murder of one of three women found slain at Starved Rock State Park the previous year. He was held at Pinckneyville Correctional Center and at one time was the longest serving inmate incarcerated by the State of Illinois as well as the third longest in state history before his release on February 21, 2020. On November 21, 2019, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board granted parole to Weger by a vote of 9–4. He was released on parole February 21, 2020……….. In prison, Weger repeatedly professed his innocence over the decades, but was consistently denied parole. On November 29, 2018, he fell one vote short of parole in a split vote of 7–7 before the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.[ One year later, on November 21, 2019, the same board voted 9–4 in granting his release after nearly 59 years in prison. He was released to a Chicago mission that aids parolees with rehabilitation. After a 90-day delay as the Illinois Attorney General sought an evaluation of Weger under the state’s Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act, he was released on February 21, 2020. On August 1, 2022, the results from hair evidence tested from the Starved Rock murders was received from a laboratory – one of several hairs found on a glove worn by one of the victims, Frances Murphy. It was a man’s hair, from which DNA was retrieved. The hair was found not to belong to Weger. Weger attorney Andy Hale said on February 24, 2023 that they still did not know whose hair it was. An attempt to crosscheck it against a DNA databank did not find a match until 2024………...In the media: On December 14, 2021, HBO Max released a three-part docuseries called The Murders of Starved Rock. The series focuses on the investigation into the murders, Weger's incarceration, and the idea Weger could ultimately be innocent. The series was produced by Mark Wahlberg, directed by Jody McVeigh-Schultz, and focuses on David Raccuglia, son of Anthony Raccuglia, one of two prosecuting attorneys on Weger's case."
-----------------------------------------------------------------PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Prosecutors called their one witness to the stand, Alice Boehm of Tonica. Boehm is the older sister of the late Harold ‘Smokey’ Wrona. She spoke of her brother first introducing her to Chester Weger when she was 13 years old and said her brother dated one of Weger’s sisters. Boehm says she wasn’t close with Smokey growing up but as he was dying, he confided in her about the murders at Starved Rock. Boehm says Smokey told her he went into prison in 1958 or 59 to get a ‘messagethat became a plan originally involving 6 wives being murdered. She says Smokey told her he got $25k for getting some friends to help commit the murders. Boehm says Smokey also burned a house down by St. Louis Canyon to hide evidence but never told her why or how the women were killed."
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STORY: "Testimony wraps up in Chester Weger Evidentiary Hearing," published by Starved Rock Media (Reporter not attributed) on May 14, 2024).
PHOTO CAPTION: "Judge Michael C. Jansz speaks during a mini trial evidentiary hearing regarding the Chester Weger case on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at the La Salle County Government Complex in Ottawa."
GIST: "An evidentiary hearing revolving around Chester Weger has featured three days of highly scientific testimony to go along with plenty of hearsay.
The 86-year-old is trying to get his murder conviction overturned, with his defense offering what they say is new evidence that if presented to a jury now, would lead to a not guilty verdict.
Testimony Wednesday began with lawyer James McConnell saying that during a 2003 conversation at his Chicago law office, a legal assistant mentioned her grandpa told her ‘they got the wrong guy.’
McConnell stopped her from saying anything further, citing family privilege. He says the legal assistant and her family were from the Berwyn-Riverside area, stating ‘I know that’s where the mobsters live.’
The legal assistant, Melissa Smith of Norridge, also testified.
She says her grandpa told her as he was dying of cancer that he was in the mob and had people killed.
She went on to say her grandpa, Roy Grizzi, told her he had one regret, that he knew Chester Weger was innocent. She claims her ailing grandpa went on to confide to her that he personally ‘registered the hits,’ referring to the murders at Starved Rock.
Smith testified her grandpa asked her to help prove Weger’s innocence.
As she got older, Smith says she reached out to a couple of Weger's lawyers, La Salle and Peru Police Departments, but got nowhere.
She eventually contacted Andy Hale after finding out about the HBO documentary on the murders.
During cross-examination, Smith says her grandpa never provided any names or weapon information to her about the murders.
Prosecutors questioned how a 15-yr-old girl would be asked to do what she could to free Weger without asking for help from her family.
The 3 women killed at Starved Rock lived in Riverside prior to their deaths. Chester Weger’s team has presented the idea that the Chicago mob was behind the murders at Starved Rock.
More alternative murder suspects also were presented by Weger's team on Wednesday.
Colby Lasyone, chief of staff at Othram, Inc. says his Texas-based lab looked for a DNA profile on a hair found on the glove of Starved Rock murder victim Frances Murphy.
His lab’s conclusion was that the hair was most likely linked to brothers Leo, Charles, and Edward Bray of Utica.
To further their conclusion, the lab suggested exhuming the bodies of the brothers.
That never happened.
During cross-examination, the prosecutors have the Weger expert witness admit his line of work deals in probabilities.
He also can’t conclude the Bray brothers committed the murders or even were at the park when the murders occurred.
The prosecution pointed out that Edward Bray died the same day as the three women were found dead in 1960.
That lead prosecutors to paint the possibility a hair from Bray could’ve transferred to Frances Murphy’s glove as the 4 bodies were handled by same individuals performing their autopsies.
Prosecutors called their one witness to the stand, Alice Boehm of Tonica.
Boehm is the older sister of the late Harold ‘Smokey’ Wrona.
She spoke of her brother first introducing her to Chester Weger when she was 13 years old and said her brother dated one of Weger’s sisters.
Boehm says she wasn’t close with Smokey growing up but as he was dying, he confided in her about the murders at Starved Rock.
Boehm says Smokey told her he went into prison in 1958 or 59 to get a ‘message’ that became a plan originally involving 6 wives being murdered.
She says Smokey told her he got $25k for getting some friends to help commit the murders. Boehm says Smokey also burned a house down by St. Louis Canyon to hide evidence but never told her why or how the women were killed."
The entire story can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
———————————————————————————————
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
—————————————————————————————————
FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
