City of Lights

Introducing: City of Lights

In 2002, in the city of Aurora, Illinois, an 18-year-old man named Jeff Signorelli was killed in a completely random act of violence. His murder remains unsolved. In the years following Jeff's murder, his parents Al and Mary Ann led efforts to make Aurora a safer place. But those efforts put them at odds with leaders in Aurora, including the mayor and chief of police. As the investigation into Jeff's murder grew cold, their grief was amplified by a growing frustration.  City of Lights is a true crime podcast about real life after the crime. Instead of asking "whodunnit?" or "how?" or "why?," the question it seeks to answer is "what now?" What do you do when your only child, on the brink of his adult life, is taken away? And what do you do when you love a city that just won't love you back? All six episodes of City of Lights drop on February 4th, 2026. Visit the show website here.

It Could Be A Thick Book | 1

Willy visits Al and Mary Ann for the first time. He learns more about his hometown than he expected. DONATE: If you feel this podcast is worth your time, please consider donating $3 at Patreon. CONTACT: Send Willy an email at wn@willynast.com Key figures in this episode: Jeff Signorelli (1984-2002): 18-year-old man from Aurora, IL. Recent graduate of Aurora Central Catholic High School. Murdered on July 11, 2002. The case remains unsolved. Mary Ann Signorelli: Jeff's mother. Third-generation native of Aurora, IL. Al Signorelli: Jeff's father. Born and raised in Chicago, long-time resident of Aurora, IL.  Truman Capote (1924-1984): Novelist and non-fiction writer. Author of the 1966 book In Cold Blood, about the 1959 murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. Music courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Chapters: (00:00) A Bad Week in a Bad Year (11:35) Al & Mary Ann (30:49) Delusions of Grandeur (36:54) Credits  

The Culture of the Department | 2

Al and Mary Ann meet with Aurora's new chief of police, which sets the tone for their relationship with the APD. DONATE: If you feel this podcast is worth your time, please consider donating $3 at Patreon. CONTACT: Send Willy an email at wn@willynast.com Key figures in this episode: Jeff Signorelli (1984-2002): 18-year-old man from Aurora, IL. Recent graduate of Aurora Central Catholic High School. Murdered on July 11, 2002. The case remains unsolved. Mary Ann Signorelli: Jeff's mother. Third-generation native of Aurora, IL. Her grandmother Ana immigrated to the United States from Romania in the early 1900s and made a life for herself in Aurora. Al Signorelli: Jeff's father. Born and raised in Chicago. Long-time resident of Aurora, IL.  Bill Lawler: Long-time officer in the Aurora Police Department who became the Chief of Police in 2002, a few weeks after Jeff's murder. David Stover: Chief of the Aurora Police Department from 1991-1996, then Mayor of Aurora from 1997-2005. Born and raised in Aurora. Vietnam veteran. His father Herschel Stover had also been a long-time officer in the APD, and for several years in the 1960s was the department's only detective. Bob Wadman: Chief of the APD prior to David Stover. Was previously the Chief of Police in Omaha, Nebraska. Served only 22 months as Chief, largely due to his contentious relationship with many within the APD. David Pierce: Mayor of Aurora from 1985 - 1997. Hired Bob Wadman and later David Stover as the Chief of the APD. Lost mayor's office to David Stover. Bill Catching: Former Beacon News reporter, covering the APD for many years. Later joined Mayor Stover's staff. Mike Cetera: Former Beacon News reporter and editor. Wrote the first article about Jeff's murder to appear in the Beacon. Frank Callahan: Former Beacon News reporter, covered the APD prior to Bill Catching. Was allegedly not well-liked by many within the police department. Died in 1993. Music courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Chapters: (00:00:00) Previously (00:01:00) Officer Friendly (00:04:42) Ana to Mary to Mary Ann (00:16:10) The Glass Dolphin (00:23:09) Community Involvement (00:33:40) Inside Edition (00:41:01) Very Sensitive to Coverage (00:49:21) The Outsider and the Company Man (01:03:05) Credits

Single-Issue Candidate | 3

Al runs for city council. He finds himself up against more than his opponents in the election. DONATE: If you feel this podcast is worth your time, please consider donating $3 on Patreon. CONTACT: Send Willy an email at wn@willynast.com Key figures in this episode: Jeff Signorelli (1984-2002): 18-year-old man from Aurora, IL. Recent graduate of Aurora Central Catholic High School. Murdered on July 11, 2002. The case remains unsolved. Mary Ann Signorelli: Jeff's mother. Third-generation native of Aurora, IL. Has been involved in historic preservation efforts in Aurora. Al Signorelli: Jeff's father. Born and raised in Chicago. Long-time resident of Aurora, IL. Ran for the open seat of alderman-at-large on Aurora City Council in 2003. Has also been involved in historic preservation efforts in Aurora. Jim Meisch: Alderman-at-Large on Aurora City Council for five terms. Announced in late 2002 that he would retire, which kicked off the competition to fill his open seat. Laurie Meisch Gette: Daughter of Jim Meisch. Aurora native. Ran for her father's open seat on city council. One of Al's three opponents in this election. Jeffrey Donelson: Pastor of the Everlasting Word Church in Aurora. Aurora native. Nephew was murdered in Aurora in 2000. Ran for Jim Meisch's open seat on city council. One of Al's three opponents in this election. Bob Shelton: Corporate computer salesman. Ran for Jim Meisch's open seat on city council. One of Al's three opponents in this election. Had lived in Aurora for about 5 years at the time of the election. David Stover: Chief of the Aurora Police Department from 1991-1996, then Mayor of Aurora from 1997-2005. Born and raised in Aurora. Vietnam veteran. His father Herschel Stover had also been a long-time officer in the APD, and for several years in the 1960s was the department's only detective. Tom Weisner: Mayor of Aurora following David Stover, from 2007-2016. Died in 2018. David Pierce: Mayor of Aurora from 1985-1997.  Bill Catching: Former Beacon News reporter, covering the APD for many years. Later joined Mayor Stover's staff. Ron Newman: Anchor at WBIG Radio in Aurora. Interviewed each of the candidates in the election for WBIG. Music courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Chapters: (00:00:00) Previously (00:01:02) Wrong End of Public Opinion (00:05:02) The Candidates  (00:30:05) An Emotional Campaign (00:38:42) Quid Pro Quo (00:48:36) The Dog Catches the Rabbit (01:02:12) Credits

A Seat at the Table | 4

A promising anti-violence program comes to Aurora. Mary Ann makes moves to keep it from falling apart. DONATE: If you feel this podcast is worth your time, please consider donating $3. CONTACT: Send Willy an email at wn@willynast.com Key figures in this episode: Jeff Signorelli (1984-2002): 18-year-old man from Aurora, IL. Recent graduate of Aurora Central Catholic High School. Murdered on July 11, 2002. The case remains unsolved. Mary Ann Signorelli: Jeff's mother. Third-generation native of Aurora, IL. Has been involved in historic preservation efforts in Aurora. Did research on CeaseFire and explored avenues to bring it to Aurora. Al Signorelli: Jeff's father. Born and raised in Chicago. Long-time resident of Aurora, IL. Ran for the open seat of alderman-at-large on Aurora City Council in 2003. Has also been involved in historic preservation efforts in Aurora. Linda Chapa LaVia: Aurora's State Representative in the Illinois House from 2003-2019. Originally won this seat in a major upset over Republican Bob O'Connor. Helped get state funding for CeaseFire Aurora. Bob O'Connor: Long-time member of Aurora City Council. Ran against Linda Chapa LaVia for the open seat in the IL House in 2002. David Stover: Chief of the Aurora Police Department from 1991-1996, then Mayor of Aurora from 1997-2005. Born and raised in Aurora. Vietnam veteran. His father Herschel Stover had also been a long-time officer in the APD, and for several years in the 1960s was the department's only detective. Bill Catching: Former Beacon News reporter, covering the APD for many years. Later joined Mayor Stover's staff. Was on the steering committee for CeaseFire Aurora, representing Mayor Stover's office. Bill Lawler: Long-time officer in the Aurora Police Department who became the Chief of Police in 2002, a few weeks after Jeff's murder. Tom Weisner: Mayor of Aurora following David Stover, from 2007-2016. Died in 2018. Tio Hardiman: Executive Director of CeaseFire during the time of CeaseFire Aurora. Greg Anderson: Former APD officer, eventually served as deputy chief. Served as the APD representative on the CeaseFire Aurora steering committee. Joanne Furnas: Senior staff member at the Association of Individual Development. Supervised CeaseFire Aurora when AID became the host organization. Rod Blagojevich: Former governor of Illinois. Served as governor during the time that CeaseFire began operating in Illinois. Ameena Matthews: CeaseFire Violence Interrupter in the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago. Central figure in the documentary "The Interrupters." Weed & Seed: Crime prevention program that began in Aurora in 2002. Supported by Mayor Stover and the APD. Financed by the federal government, specifically the Department of Justice. God's Gym: Small non-profit organization that served as CeaseFire Aurora's first host organization in 2004. AID: Association for Individual Development. Long-established non-profit organization in Aurora whose primary mission was to support individuals with developmental, intellectual, physical, and mental health challenges. Became the host organization for CeaseFire Aurora after God's Gym dropped out of their agreement with CeaseFire. Music courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Chapters: (00:00:00) Patreon / Previously (00:01:37) The Interrupters (00:09:28) Classic Aurora Blindspots (00:23:45) It's Time We Act Boldly (00:36:56) The Underdog (00:50:53) We Didn't Get Hugged After That (01:07:08) Minimum Qualifications (01:12:28) Credits