CHESTER WEGER
AND THE
STARVED ROCK MURDERS
what if one of the most notorious homicide convictions in
illinois history was built on a lie? for a decade, civil rights attorney
andy hale has followed the evidence in search of what really happened—
and finally bring justice to the man who spent 60 years behind bars.
chester otto weger was convicted of a triple homicide that took place in starved rock state park in illinois in 1960. it was one of the most heinous crimes in the states’ history and made headlines around the world. chester was 21 when he was sent to prison and served over 60 years before he was released on parole in 2020. for six decades, chester fought to prove his innocence. he died in 2025 at the age of 86. for the past ten years, civil rights attorney andy hale has been seeking justice for chester and his family. despite chester’s passing, his fight for the truth continues.
lasalle, il (2022-2026)
if chester’s conviction is vacated, this would become the longest wrongful conviction case in united states’ history.
lineup in which chester was “identified” as the perpetrator. (1960)
THE CASE
in march 1960, three women were found brutally murdered in a shallow cave. frances murphy, mildred lindquist, and lillian oetting were wives and mothers who lived in riverside and decided to take a four-day trip to starved rock state park near utica, illinois. they checked into the starved rock lodge on march 14th. two days later, they were found in st. louis canyon, bound with twine, bludgeoned, and partially nude. their faces were mutilated beyond recognition and their bodies grotesquely displayed to arouse terror in whoever would find them.
st. louis canyon (1960)andy at the crime scene in st. louis canyon in starved rock state park. (2026)chester with police officers at the crime scene, “re-enacting” the murders. (1960)THE CONVICTION
eight months after the brutal murders, the lasalle county sheriff’s office and lasalle county state’s attorney’s office zeroed in on a 21-year-old dirt poor dishwasher who worked at the lodge: chester weger. despite previously passing six lie detector tests, the authorities relentlessly pursued chester, overlooking the real suspects. they arrested chester in november 1960, without probable cause, the arrest warrants being signed not by a judge, but by the local grocer who also served as justice of the peace.
after a lengthy interrogation during which chester was repeatedly threatened with the death penalty, chester confessed to, as he would later day, save his life. as soon as he was provided with a public defender, chester recanted the coerced confession, but the damage was done. in february 1961 his trial began and less than a month later he was found guilty of murder. tellingly, the jury rejected the state’s pleas to electrocute chester.
chester vigorously maintained his innocence until the day he died in the summer of 2025.
chester during a podcast interview with andy. (2022)portrait of chester. (2022)pathway to st. louis canyon at starved rock state park. (2026)looking up toward the sky from inside st. louis canyon. perhaps the last view the three women saw. (2026)
matches from the starved rock lodge, where chester worked as a dishwasher. one of the many pieces of memorabilia andy has collected. (2026)chester on the porch of his sister mary and her husband ron’s home in lasalle, where he lived after his release until his death. (2022)st. louis canyon (2026)francis murphy at the same location, minutes before she and the other two women were murdered. (1960)andy in front of his office in chicago. (2026)part of andy’s chester weger case files in his office in chicago. (2026)visiting chester in lasalle: podcast recording with the whole family. (2022)“
there’s someone out there that knows something. maybe in this room. even if you have a story that’s small... please talk to me.
portrait of chester weger. (2022)“
i owe it to the people there (lasalle county), I owe it to my relatives to prove that i never committed this crime… i owe it to my friends to try to clear my name. that’s all I want to do.
the crime scene: a cave in st. louis canyon. (2026)THE ATTORNEY
andy hale is a civil rights attorney in chicago who specializes in investigating wrongful convictions. as chester weger’s attorney, he has spent the past ten years digging into details of the case that have been overlooked, ignored, covered up, and left out of the public record. along the way, chester became more than a client—he became a friend.
through the decade-long investigation, which he documents in his podcast (“the starved rock murders with andy hale”), andy and his team have uncovered the truth behind these horrific murders—including who they think is responsible. unfortunately, the justice system has failed to deliver justice and, instead, has continued to stand in the way of acknowledging the coverup and framing of chester that took place in 1960.
now, the fight for the truth and justice moves to the final destination:
the governor’s office.
andy at one of his events, where he speaks about his investigation and the cover-up by the police and prosecutors at the time, hoping someone in the audience might have information that could help his case. (utica, il 2026)civil rights attorney andy hale in his office in chicago.over the years, andy and chester became close friends. he carefully keeps many of the memories that remind him of their time together, including birthday receipts from their favorite restaurants, polaroids, and much more.
attendees listening to andy's presentation. (utica, il 2026)
portrait of chester (1960)wind dancing through a tree beside chester’s grave. (2026)chester on his way to court, where he was on trial for the triple murder. (1961)chester in the living room with his sister and her husband, whom he lived with from his release until his death. (lasalle, il 2022)
andy at the same location 66 years later: a cave in st. louis canyon at starved rock state park. (2026)one of andy's many case file boxes in his office in chicago. (2026)andy’s email to his assistant and first contact with chester in 2016. (2026)a case file box in andy's office in chicago. (2026)portrait of a young chester during his time in the military. (2022)a two-dollar bill signed by chester, on top of his marine corps t-shirt. (2026)
memories of a friendship. polaroids by andy.andy at chester's grave. (lasalle, il 2026)portrait of chester (2022)
“dear chester”
a zine about andy and chester’s friendship. when chester was convicted in 1961, andy wasn’t even born yet. more than five decades later, their paths finally crossed and what began as andy’s pro bono work grew into a genuine friendship between the two.
a murder case more than sixty years old—a man who was used by the authorities and spent more than half his life in prison—an attorney who refuses to let a case go—and a friendship that grew out of the fight for the truth.
this zine brings together my photographs from 2022-2026: including chester and his family, podcast recording at their house, the crime scene we went to, andy’s memorabilia and archives from the case, andy’s events where he speaks about the case and polaroids he took throughout their friendship. plus newspaper photographs from the 60s about chester and the case.
8.5×11
body:
staple binding
full color printing
80lb satin text
cover:
full color printing
100lb satin cover
front cover
back cover