On July 15, 1941, a posse of approximately 200 men with the assistance of a private airplane searched the woods of McHenry County near Woodstock for fugitive Richard Martin Wesolik, a 16-year-old parolee who had beaten to death Mrs. Margaret Jung, 37, with a wrench. There were signs of attempted rape. Mrs. Jung was a mother of five children. Wesolik was paroled to the Joseph Jung farm from the St. Charles School for Boys on April 21, 1941.

Margaret Jung’s body was found a few minutes later by Joseph Jung, the husband of the victim, who had returned home from a trip to Woodstock. The Jung children, who were playing in the home at the time of the tragedy, did not hear any disturbance. After a three-day manhunt, Wesolik was captured by Belleville Police, near the homes of his two brothers, Paul and Frank Wesolik. Wesolik confessed, admitting that he killed Mrs. Jung in a moment of senseless rage by striking her 15 times with a wrench. Apparently, the trouble started when Mr. Jung asked Wesolik to go with the family to the home of a relative.

Wesolik advised that he was too tired and wanted to go to bed and instead went to a movie in Woodstock. Accordingly to Wesolik’s parole, he was to be home by 9:00 p.m., however, he left the show about 10:15 p.m. The next day, Mrs. Jung made a statement to Wesolik that he would be going back to the St. Charles when his parole officer shows up. Wesolik admitted that this statement made him mad and that is when he went and grabbed the wrench out of the garage and returned to the milk house where he struck and killed Mrs. Jung. On September 8, 1941, Wesolik was sentenced to life in prison.