Park Predators: UPDATED: The Housewives

Host: Delia D’Ambra
Date: November 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this updated episode, Delia D’Ambra revisits the infamous 1960 triple homicide in Starved Rock State Park, Illinois—known as “The Starved Rock Murders.” Three suburban housewives were brutally killed on a hiking trip, leading to a decades-long saga of investigation, conviction, doubt, and, most recently, new developments that cast ongoing uncertainty over the case. Delia discusses the crime, the police investigation and errors, the conviction of Chester Weger, his claims of innocence, and the latest court hearings, evidence, and alternative theories.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting and Context of the Crime

• Starved Rock State Park: A scenic Illinois park, famous for its canyons and waterfalls, was the site of a notorious 1960 crime.
• Victims: Lillian Oetting, Frances Murphy, and Mildred Lindquist—three well-off, socially active friends from Riverside, Illinois.

“It's home to 13 miles of trails that loop along the Illinois River… In March of 1960, a violent killer cornered three middle aged women near one of these scenic areas and left a bloody trail of clues that led police straight to him.”
— Delia D’Ambra [02:27]

2. The Timeline and Discovery

• The women were last seen on March 14, 1960, checking into Starved Rock Lodge and heading out for a hike.
• Their families grew concerned after phone calls went unanswered for days, especially with a snowstorm hitting the area.
• On March 16, searchers found the women’s bodies in St. Louis Canyon, bound and viciously bludgeoned.

“Their bodies were tucked a little ways into a cave… The scene was gruesome. The victims' skulls had all been bashed by some sort of large object and there were trails of blood on the ground and in the snow around their bodies.”
— Delia D’Ambra [07:17]

3. Early Investigation & Evidence

• Blood evidence suggested the women had been attacked elsewhere and then moved.
• Items found: purses, broken camera, bloody binoculars; a bloodied tree limb and icicle became suspected murder weapons after a snowstorm complicated the crime scene.

“If that wasn’t cringeworthy enough, investigators also used flamethrowers to melt some of the snow at the crime scene.”
— Delia D’Ambra [12:40]

• Crime scene preservation was primitive by modern standards—brooms and flamethrowers were used to clear snow.

4. Suspicion Falls on Chester Weger

• A 21-year-old dishwasher at the lodge, Weger, was questioned after coworkers noticed fresh scratches on his face.
• He provided an alibi and passed the initial polygraph; the dark stain on his jacket was ruled animal blood.
• The initial investigation moved past him until months later, twine from the lodge kitchen (to which he had access) matched bindings on the victims.

“There was one lodge employee whom they’d previously spoken with who would have had access to that twine. Chester Weger.”
— Delia D’Ambra [25:02]

5. The Confession & Prosecution

• Re-questioned after months, Weger failed additional polygraphs and was arrested for a separate 1959 assault nearby.
• During an eight hour interrogation (allegedly involving coercion and the presence of non-officers), Weger confessed to the murders, then reenacted the crime for media and police.
• His confession detailed an attempted robbery gone wrong, leading to the murders; he said he staged the scene to look like a sexual crime.

“After being pressed for hours about where he’d been… Chester had started sobbing uncontrollably and sighed and made the utterance, ‘Alright, I did it.’”
— Delia D’Ambra [29:37]

• At trial, prosecution highlighted the twine match and re-tested jacket stain, concluding it may be human blood.
• Weger recanted his confession soon after and claimed it was coerced. He was convicted and sentenced to life.

6. Appeals, Doubts & Fresh Evidence

• Over the years, concerns grew over the legitimacy of Weger’s confession, inconsistent evidence, and law enforcement’s conduct.
• In the 2000s, DNA testing on old evidence was denied due to contamination; in 2019, after nearly 60 years in prison, Weger was paroled.
• Recent forensic advances traced a hair found in one victim’s glove to a family unrelated to Weger, renewing doubt.

“Turns out further forensic testing of the hair’s root and bulb revealed it belonged to one of three brothers who’d all since passed away. But back when the crime occurred, one of them lived near the crime scene.”
— Delia D’Ambra [43:09]

• Defense filed motions for new DNA testing; evidentiary hearings in 2025 introduced new expert testimony challenging the nature of the murder weapon and proposing alternative suspects, including a possible mob hit.

7. The 2025 Hearing and Final Ruling

• Expert pathologist testimony suggested the weapon was likely a bat, pipe, or crowbar—not a tree limb.
• Defense asserted mob involvement, including a deathbed confession from a woman’s grandfather and testimony from others about possible alternative perpetrators.
• The judge ruled the new evidence (including DNA and hearsay confessions) was not conclusive or reliable enough to merit a new trial.

“The judge ultimately decided the defense had not made a convincing enough argument to prove Chester’s innocence... the new DNA evidence was insufficient and nearly all of the hearsay testimony… unreliable.”
— Delia D’Ambra [48:00]

• Weger died days after losing his bid for a new trial, still declaring his innocence.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Crime Scene Methods:
  “This is exactly what crime scene tech classes would tell you not to do… But again, this is 1960 and no one back then was really thinking about crime scene preservation or DNA or anything like that.”
  — Delia D’Ambra [12:50]

• On Early Twine Evidence:
  “The twine… had a distinct 20 strand weave pattern and reportedly wasn’t made often or sold in a lot of places. So there was no denying the twine from the lodge’s kitchen was critical to the state’s theory about Chester.”
  — Delia D’Ambra [37:52]

• On Weger’s Motive:
  “He only replied, ‘It all started with robbery, but I don’t know what I needed the money for.’”
  — Delia D’Ambra quoting Chester Weger [32:50]

• On the Lingering Mystery:
  “Whether or not you believe him is something you’ll have to decide for yourself. Did he commit this heinous triple murder? Or did someone else pull off the perfect crime? It appears only the woods and canyons of Starved Rock State Park hold the answers.”
  — Delia D’Ambra [48:57]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:27] – Introduction to the Starved Rock murders, setting, and victims
• [07:17] – Discovery of the bodies and early crime scene
• [12:40] – Record-keeping and investigative miscues (flamethrowers, brooms)
• [25:02] – Return to Chester Weger as a suspect based on twine evidence
• [29:37] – Weger’s confession and reenactment
• [32:50] – Weger’s unclear motives and contradictions
• [37:52] – Trial evidence about twine and jacket; Weger’s defense
• [43:09] – DNA testing reveals unrelated hair, fueling new defense
• [48:00] – Judge’s denial of new trial after the 2025 evidentiary hearing
• [48:57] – Conclusion: unresolved answers and Weger’s death maintaining innocence

Conclusion

Delia D’Ambra’s thorough revisit of the Starved Rock murders highlights the case’s complexity and the family, legal, and journalistic conflicts that have surrounded it for over sixty years. Listeners are left with unsettling questions about wrongful convictions, investigative mistakes, and the limits of forensic science and the justice system. The episode’s tone is factual and somber, with Delia inviting the audience to draw their own conclusions about guilt, innocence, and whether the truth will ever be fully uncovered.