PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. (AP) – An 80-year-old man has been freed after spending nearly 60 years in prison following his 1961 conviction in the killing of one of three suburban Chicago women who were bludgeoned to death in a state park.
Chester Weger emerged Friday from Pinckneyville Correctional Center and maintained that he is innocent of the 1960 killings in Starved Rock State Park.
Weger was convicted of one of the killings and sentenced to life in prison.
He initially admitted his guilt but later recanted his confession, saying prosecutors had coerced him into saying he did it.
Relatives of the victims fought Weger’s release.
