Lawyers for Chester Weger, the convicted Starved Rock killer who’s trying to prove his innocence, asked a judge Tuesday to remove Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow as the special prosecutor in the case.
Glasgow’s office tried to thwart new testing of evidence from the scene of the 1960 killings of three women at Starved Rock State Park in La Salle County and ignored the results of those tests, Andy Hale, one of Weger’s lawyers, wrote in a court filing.
Hale asked Judge Michael Jansz to replace Glasgow with a new special prosecutor.
“Nearly two years have now passed since the [Will County state’s attorney’s office] was appointed as special prosecutor here,” Hale wrote. “The grace of God has kept [Weger] alive under the worst of circumstances to continue his fight for justice.”
In 2020, Weger, who’s now 84, was paroled for good behavior after nearly six decades behind bars.
He was convicted of killing Lillian Oetting, who was found dead with friends Frances Murphy and Mildred Linquist after the three women from Riverside went on a hike in the park about 90 miles southwest of Chicago. Prosecutors said he acted alone.
Weger, whose conviction wasn’t overturned when he was paroled, has been seeking to prove his innocence since his release.
Glasgow, who was appointed special prosecutor in the case in 2021, couldn’t be reached for comment.
According to Weger’s lawyers, his innocence is supported by new tests of the crime scene evidence, a review of the police files and interviews.
The lawyers say they suspect that a relative of one of the women plotted to kill the women — and that the killings were carried out by mobsters.
