‘The Murders at Starved Rock’ Director Previews a Mystery Plagued With Generational Trauma
Preview
HBO‘s latest documentary series The Murders at Starved Rock dissects a decades-old mystery revolving around the true identity of the Starved Rock killer versus the man who was convicted for the crime, Chester Weger.
In 1960, three women were found brutally murdered in the Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, Illinois, and Weger was the man held responsible for the crime. But this three-part special TV event explores the possibility of his false confession defense and the surrounding community’s mixed opinions on Weger’s level of involvement in the triple murder.
(Credit: Courtesy of HBO)
Helping shine a light on the story is the docuseries’ director, Jody McVeigh-Schultz (McMillions), who helps piece together an intriguing tale involving family ties, corrupt law enforcement, and ever-shifting stories. The concept for the special was first started in the early 2000s by David Raccuglia, whose unfinished documentary supplements this newest entry.
Raccuglia is the son of the case’s prosecutor who ultimately sent Weger away to prison. Insistent on his innocence, Weger’s story intrigued the filmmaker all his life and eventually inspired him to try and uncover the truth about the convicted man’s story.
This immediately drew in McVeigh-Schultz who notes, “This case just had so much complexity and so many layers to peel back, that I became obsessed.” The documentarian was familiar with false confession cases from working on The Confession Tapes with Kelly Loudenberg. “But Starved Rock also had this incredible amount of mythology built around it,” McVeigh-Schultz says, “because of how obsessed and divided the local community is over the case. Every local story that purported to either prove Chester’s guilt or innocence was more complicated than it first appeared, and many had been exaggerated or distorted by multiple trips around the rumor mill.”
David Raccuglia (Credit: Courtesy of HBO)
So, getting to the truth was going to be tougher than anyone could have imagined as the docuseries deals with Weger’s family, the community, and the victims’ families. “The victims’ families were traumatized for generations by the loss of their matriarchs in such a heinous way, and Chester Weger had served 60 years in prison for a crime he potentially didn’t commit, which wreaked havoc on his family as well. To finally answer some of those lingering questions about the case was really alluring.”
The Murders at Starved Rock focuses on more than just the murderer and his alleged crime though. “I’ve never been interested in covering crime for its own sake. The story always has to say something bigger about our culture to really capture me and I think this did in a lot of ways,” shares McVeigh-Schultz. “Chester’s case is unique in that it’s a “time capsule” case that took place before many of the criminal justice civil rights reforms that we now take for granted.”
Along with addressing these wrongs, the special tackles the aftermath of the murders and their impact on every individual involved. “This is truly a story about generational trauma and its rippling effects. From the families of the victims to Chester’s family to even David’s own childhood, it’s clear that tragedies are passed down through generations.”
Whether viewers will walk away with a clear-cut opinion on Chester’s innocence will remain to be seen. As McVeigh-Schultz helps bring all of the evidence into focus, the true goal is to “let viewers make up their own minds.” As with any ongoing mystery, there’s always room for more information to be unearthed. Whether that will lead to more episodes or specials, McVeigh-Schultz says, “we’d love to follow those leads and see where the story goes next. So, decidedly… maybe.”
Tune in for the fascinating three-parter as the mystery unfolds on HBO.
The Murders at Starved Rock, Series Premiere, Tuesday, December 14, 8/7c, HBO
