Intro - What and Why

Welcome to Someone Wicked This Way Comes. A true crime investigative podcast about Holly Staker, the 11 year old babysitter who was strangled, raped, and stabbed to death on August 17, 1992 in Waukegan, IL. Episode 1 is a general introduction to the area where the murder took place, a brief description of what happened on August 17, 1992, and the subsequent events that took place afterwards.

The prime suspect, Juan Rivera, would be tried on three separate occasions and would be found guilty each time by three different juries. In late 2011, the Illinois Appellate Court exonerated Juan Rivera. The Court's written opinion was a scathing indictment of police officers and interrogation techniques, as well as officers of the court.

To date no one else has ever been arrested for or convicted of Holly Staker's murder. Juan Rivera's story has been covered by many media outlets, but little time has been spent talking about the murder victim, Holly Staker. The public has forgotten about Holly Staker and what happened to her on August 17, 1992. Her hopes for the future died the day she was brutally killed. How do we make sure that Holly's screams for justice continue and become louder so the officers sworn to serve and protect do just that? How do we make sure that Holly's screams for justice continue and fill the ears of the officers of the court sworn to bring justice to the innocent victims of sexual assault and murder? What do we need to do to shine a light on Holly Staker, her young life lost in such a brutal way?

I have an idea about how to bring Holly back to life and that is this very podcast. A podcast about who Holly was and how her loved ones and friends remember her then and now. We need to speak to everyone who wishes to share their story and to hopefully find answers about who killed Holly. And that is my goal with this podcast. This podcast is to make sure that EVERYONE IS HEARD.