Man once questioned in 1960 Starved Rock murders committed suicide
Anne W.
73-year-old committed suicide
Man questioned in 1960 Starved Rock murders
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
BY HYACYNTH FILIPPI
OF THE JOURNAL STAR
OTTAWA - A man who was questioned in the 1960 Starved Rock murders
died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, a LaSalle County
coroner's inquest has revealed.
George Spiros, 73, was found dead in his Starved Rock State Park home
May 2 by police. Spiros' dog was also found dead. He left no suicide
note, and the dog's cause of death is unknown.
LaSalle County Coroner Jody Bernard said at Thursday's inquest Spiros
was diagnosed with cancer several months ago. His disease was not in
end stages at the time of his death.
Bernard said LaSalle County Detective David Guinnee testified that
Spiros had made comments to different people about his health the week
before he died.
Three weeks before his death, a defense attorney for the man charged
with one of three women's murders at Starved Rock asked the Illinois
Prisoner Review Board for clemency for her client.
Chester Wenger, 66, has been serving a life sentence since his 1961
conviction after three suburban Chicago women were found dead at the
park. Wenger's attorney, Donna Kelly, listed Spiros as the suspect in
her petition for Wenger's clemency. She asked LaSalle County State's
Attorney Joe Hettel to investigate Spiros.
Wenger was a lodge employee at the time of the murder. Spiros' father
was the Starved Rock lodge operator when three Riverside women were
found dead at St. Louis Canyon after being beaten to death by a tree
branch. While Spiros was never charged with any of the women's
murders, he helped lead police to Wenger after reporting he saw a
group of women talking to men in a car.
Kelly told the Journal Star in May that Spiros' suicide could be a
coincidence, but it would be an extreme one.
Hettel told the Journal Star in May that there was no evidence to peg
Spiros as a suspect in the murders at this time.
http://pjstar.com/stories/062105/REG_B6OTKVO3.030.shtml
--
Anne W.
indigoace at goodsol period com
http://www.goodsol.com/cats/