Judge Drops Charges Against McCullough In 1957 Murder
Jack McCullough, in an undated photo provided by the Illinois Dept. of Corrections. The 76-year-old former security guard was released from prison earlier this month, after being sentenced in 2012 to life in prison in the 1957 slaying of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph in Sycamore, Ill. A judge on Friday dismissed criminal charges against Rudolph. Illinois Dept. of Corrections via AP
A judge has dismissed criminal charges against Jack McCullough, but is making no immediate decision on a request to appoint a special prosecutor in the case of the 76-year-old man who a state's attorney says was wrongly convicted in a 1957 killing.
DeKalb County Circuit Court Associate Judge William Brady dismissed the case against McCullough Friday, averting a retrial for now. But the judge put off making a separate decision about a special prosecutor until June.
McCullough was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 in the killing of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph in Sycamore. But the successor to the state's attorney who prosecuted the case says a review found flaws in the investigation and determined McCullough's alibi was solid.
McCullough was released April 15.
Maria's brother, Charles Ridulph, wants an outside prosecutor to review the case.