Starved Rock murders documentary to air Dec. 14-15

A documentary about the 1960 murders at Starved Rock State Park will be aired Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 14-15, on HBO.

Director Jody McVeigh-Schultz confirmed the release details, first reported by Deadline Hollywood News, and confirmed the project’s title, “The Murders at Starved Rock.” McVeigh-Schultz declined additional comment but said statements would be forthcoming.

McVeight-Schultz and his collaborators had previously confirmed the project was underway but were tight-lipped on the release date. Similarly, they bound their interview subjects from commenting through non-disclosure agreements.

The documentary is said to be a sprawling analysis of the murders of three suburban Chicago women and its lengthy aftermath, which has extended in 2021. Earlier this week, Chester Weger, who was convicted of murder and paroled two years ago, successfully petitioned a court to send aged evidence from the murders to a private lab for forensic analysis.

Weger initially confessed to the murders but recanted. He was sentenced to life in prison but gradually secured votes for release from members of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, which voted in 2019 to free him after nearly six decades in custody.

Much of the documentary features film recorded by entrepreneur-photographer David Raccuglia, a La Salle native whose father prosecuted Weger for murder in 1961. The documentary also features interviews with Weger, both in prison and after his release.