Man convicted in girl’s 1957 death could go free
Published 3:00 pm Tuesday, March 29, 2016
- FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2016 file photo, convicted murderer Jack McCullough walks into the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore, Ill., to request post-conviction relief. McCullough is serving a life sentence after being sentenced in 2012 for the 1957 death of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph of Sycamore. On Friday, March 25, 2016, DeKalb County State's Attorney Richard Schmack says his review of evidence has convinced him that McCullough could not have committed the crime. His six-month court-ordered review was prompted by McCullough's push for a new trial. (Danielle Guerra/Daily Chronicle via AP, File) MANDATORY CREDIT; CHICAGO TRIBUNE OUT
DEKALB, Ill. (AP) — A 76-year-old former security guard serving a life sentence in the 1957 slaying of a 7-year-old Illinois girl could go free soon after a prosecutor found fault with the investigation and new evidence corroborated an alibi.
One of the oldest cases in the U.S. ever to go to trial will be back before a DeKalb County court Tuesday, not far from Sycamore, where Maria Ridulph was abducted, stabbed and choked to death. Jack McCullough was convicted in 2012, some 55 years after the death.
DeKalb County State’s Attorney Richard Schmack said in a scathing filing last week that a review turned up serious missteps during the investigation and prosecution. He also said there was new evidence supporting a McCullough alibi.
