EP 3: The Crime Scene (and why the evidence doesn’t point to Chester)

03/10/22 • 25 min

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Imagine being any one of the members of law enforcement standing in St. Louis Canyon on March 16th, 1960. These were small town cops who had spent most of their careers dealing with domestic disputes, bar brawls and livestock theft. Suddenly, they were responsible for investigating the most high profile murder in the state’s history. All three women seemed to have been left posed. Their arms and legs were extended and spread out as if they were making snow angels, but their undergarments were pulled down, their wrists bound and their faces had been beaten so badly that they were unrecognizable. The crime scene provided more questions than answers but there was a tantalizing bit of evidence. In the clenched hand of Lillian Oetting were two strands of hair that didn’t belong to the victims. One hair was fine and light brown. The other strand was coarse and dark. Who did these hairs belong to? In this episode we explore the crime scene, key evidence collected, and how a closer look suggests Chester could not have committed this crime. For more information, documents, photos, and other assets associated with and referenced in episode 3’s coverage of the case, visit andyhalepodcast.com.

Previous Episode

EP 2: Why the State’s Narrative Can’t Be Right (and where’s the missing finger?)

Around 10:00 in the morning of Monday, March 14th, 1960 50-year-old Lillian Oetting, 50-year-old Mildred Lindquist and 47-year-old Frances Murphy, the wives of prominent businessmen from the affluent Chicago suburb of Riverside, Illinois packed their suitcases into the back of Lillian Oetting’s Cadillac station wagon and drove out of town. Their destination - the Starved Rock Lodge. What happens next is where the mystery begins. In this episode, we explore the timeline of events leading up to the crime, the crime scene itself, how the victims were killed, when they were killed, and highlight some critical details missed in the initial investigation. For more information, documents, photos, and other assets associated with and referenced in episode 2’s coverage of the case, visit andyhalepodcast.com.

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EP 4: Two Key Suspects: Gerald + George (one of which bludgeoned a girl to death a month later)

Handwritten police notes, dating to the weeks and months, following the triple homicide at Starved Rock State Park indicate that hundreds of people were questioned. A spectrum of characters ranging from the women's restroom attendant at the lodge, to known sex offenders from as far away as Chicago, and interstate truck drivers, were all pressed as to their whereabouts on the afternoon of Monday, March 14th. Most interviews consisted of a few pages of notes or in some cases, a couple of paragraphs, but two suspects in particular, stand out from the pack for the sheer bizarreness of their statements and actions, George Spiros and Gerald Nemke. In this episode we explore a these two most compelling suspects, their circumstances at the time of the murder and how their backstories make them undeniably plausible perpetrators. For more information, documents, photos, and other assets associated with and referenced in episode 3’s coverage of the case, visit andyhalepodcast.com.