But Wednesday, a Cook County judge ordered Kenilworth officials to hand over some of the paperwork so she can determine whether the voluminous case file should be allowed to remain under wraps as the murder mystery enters its sixth decade.
The question has come up now — days before the 50th anniversary of the crime, which occurred Sept. 18, 1966 — because a New York lawyer who grew up in nearby Glencoe sued Kenilworth after it denied his request under the Freedom of Information Act to view the documents.
Percy, the daughter of prominent businessman and Republican politician Charles "Chuck" Percy, was 21 when she was stabbed and beaten to death in the bedroom of the family's lakefront home before dawn, amid indications of a break-in. The horrific crime made national news, but no one was ever caught.
Weeks later, Chuck Percy was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served for 18 years. He died in 2011. Valerie's twin sister, Sharon, is married to Jay Rockefeller, the former governor and U.S. senator from West Virginia.
Over the years, amateur sleuths have advanced numerous theories as to who might have committed the infamous slaying.
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