Chester Weger’s ‘mini trial’ set to begin May 12 to overturn Starved Rock murder conviction

Lawyers for Chester Weger have termed it a “mini trial” and said they’ll introduce evidence not available decades ago showing that Weger was wrongly convicted of murder. It begins May 12.

Weger is trying to overturn his conviction for killing Lillian Oetting, one of three women fatally bludgeoned in 1960 at Starved Rock State Park. Weger confessed to the killings but then recanted. He has since pushed for new proceedings to prove his innocence.

He’ll get his chance right after Mother’s Day. On Friday, an attorney for Weger, who did not personally appear, advised La Salle County Judge Michael C. Jansz that Weger’s team will need about two days to bring an unspecified number of live witnesses to the stand.

Jansz allotted three days and scheduled the hearing for May 12 to 14. He warned attorneys that he might have to interrupt the proceedings to squeeze in a few other pending cases.

As previously reported, Weger won a key victory late last year when Jansz threw out the state’s motion to dismiss Weger’s bid for exoneration. Jansz instead let Weger proceed to the last phase of a multistage proceeding to overturn his murder conviction.

Weger can, and will, introduce multiple statements and pieces of evidence. The linchpin of the case, which prompted Jansz to let Weger’s bid go forward, is an affidavit provided by Roy Tyson. The Hennepin resident came forward in early 2022 with new information that he said would clear Weger of murder.

Tyson said he had a lengthy conversation with the late Harold “Smokey” Wrona in 1996. According to Tyson’s affidavit, Wrona said he was contacted by underworld figures looking for a place to dispose of a body. Wrona told Tyson that he became more directly involved in planning the Starved Rock murders and that Weger had nothing to do with it.

Tyson is expected to take the stand and flesh out Wrona’s stated involvement. Prosecutors have an opportunity to cross-examine Tyson and then argue over whether Tyson’s recollections with Wrona are admissible or whether they are hearsay.