187: The Devil’s in the Details. Starved Rock State Park & National Historic Landmark. Part 1.

National Park After Dark

Audioboom Studios

True Crime, Places & Travel, Wilderness, Society & Culture, Sports

4.8 • 4.6K Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2023

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

*Warning: This episode involves graphic discussion of violent acts and sexual assault*

In March of 1960, three friends set out for a girls trip to Starved Rock State Park. When they were discovered brutally murdered inside the park – the pressure was on to find who was responsible. After months of investigation, a state park employee confesses to the crimes and is sent to prison. Despite his initial confession, Chester Weger maintains his innocence over six decades later, and he isn’t the only one. This case has it all - twists, turns and question marks, and in part 1, we are just getting started.

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Sources The Murders at Starved Rock (HBO Documentary Series), The Andy Hale Podcast, Chicago Magazine, Rolling Stone, Daily Journal, Starved Rock Lodge, Iowa Cold Cases, Medium

Transcript

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0:00.0	When the unspeakable happens, people want answers.
0:08.6	Answers make us feel safe.
0:10.6	They provide explanation to the unexplainable and comfort within chaos, but not every question receives one.
0:18.0	As humans, this is incredibly frustrating.
0:21.0	We crave solutions, resolve, endings.
0:24.8	To have psychological closure is paramount, especially when it comes to the death of a loved
0:29.7	one, and particularly when that loved one is ripped violently away at the hands of someone else.
0:37.0	Who done it, murder mystery cases have always held a particular fascination within the collective mind. It doesn't matter when it happened or where. The
0:45.6	urge to metaphorically close the Manila folder and file it away under case closed
0:50.6	can be overwhelming, especially when there is widespread pressure from the public to do just that.
0:57.0	But this is a dangerous game.
0:59.0	Yes, we hate open endings.
1:01.3	Admitting that we just don't have all the answers is
1:04.0	against our nature, but sometimes in our rush to tie up a case in a bow, we can
1:09.1	leave some loose ends. Loose ends that for some leave the rest of their lives frayed and painful.
1:15.8	loose ends that are just begging to be examined just one more time.
1:21.1	Welcome to National Park. more time.
1:23.0	Welcome to National Park After Dark. you're going to do. Well, hello,
1:45.0	hello and I'm already excited for this episode.
1:49.0	I've been working so hard on this episode.
1:52.0	I know you have. Yeah, you know how we... so hard on this episode.
1:58.0	Yeah, you know how we said it's vacation like last week? It wasn't.
	...

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