As 2022 begins, evidence from the 1960 Starved Rock murders is being tested at a lab in Virginia. Eighty-two year old Chester Weger of LaSalle is hoping to clear his name with DNA examinations that couldn’t be done when a jury convicted him. One of our top stories of 2021, LaSalle County Judge Michael C. Jansz ruled in October that Weger can have the hair, string, and cigarette butts saved all these years tested.
Jansz said the evidence tests are allowed because of their potential to produce new information, they weren’t available when the case started, and the evidence to be tested has been stored well enough to minimize the risk of contamination. His decision was not based on how likely the results are to prove Weger’s innocence. It will be up to each side’s lawyers to argue to the court over what the results mean.
Weger is on parole after serving 59 years in prison.