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Man Released After Wrongful Conviction in 43-Year Cold Case

On Behalf of | Apr 20, 2016 | Uncategorized |

Recent evidence has shed light on a 43-year cold case. In 2012, Jack McCullough was convicted of the 1957 kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph in Sycamore, Illinois. McCullough was questioned as a suspect soon after the girl’s disappearance. He provided an alibi, that he had been on a train from Rockford, Illinois to Chicago, and went on to live his life.

Ridulph’s case remains unsolved. In 2010, an ex-girlfriend of McCullough’s got in touch with law enforcement officials. The woman said that she found the unused ticket from the day the young girl went missing. Off of that report, McCullough was taken into custody in 2011 and imprisoned in 2012.

In 2016, Dekalb County State’s Attorney Richard Schmack filed a petition to release McCullough and grant him a new trial. In a six-month review of evidence, Schmack found multiple issues with McCullough’s case, including:

· A statement that pages of police reports numbering in the thousands had not been properly made available

· Evidence that a photo lineup in which McCullough was identified in had been extremely suggestive

· Proof that McCullough had been in Rockford, 35 miles away, placing a call from a pay phone to an Air Force recruiting station

McCullough must remain in the state of Illinois as he awaits a new trial, but is free on bond.

If you or someone you know has been wrongfully convicted of a crime, a criminal defense attorney will help you reclaim your rights.

Gonzales, Suzannah. “Jack McCullough Freed After Wrongful Conviction for 1957 Murder.” The Huffington Post, 15 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jack-mccullough-freed-murder_us_57114aa2e4b0018f9cba171b?ir=Crime&section=us_crime&utm_hp_ref=crime.

Ridulph’s case remains unsolved. In 2010, an ex-girlfriend of McCullough’s got in touch with law enforcement officials. The woman said that she found the unused ticket from the day the young girl went missing. Off of that report, McCullough was taken into custody in 2011 and imprisoned in 2012.

In 2016, Dekalb County State’s Attorney Richard Schmack filed a petition to release McCullough and grant him a new trial. In a six-month review of evidence, Schmack found multiple issues with McCullough’s case, including:

· A statement that pages of police reports numbering in the thousands had not been properly made available

· Evidence that a photo lineup in which McCullough was identified in had been extremely suggestive

· Proof that McCullough had been in Rockford, 35 miles away, placing a call from a pay phone to an Air Force recruiting station

McCullough must remain in the state of Illinois as he awaits a new trial, but is free on bond.

If you or someone you know has been wrongfully convicted of a crime, a criminal defense attorney will help you reclaim your rights.

Gonzales, Suzannah. “Jack McCullough Freed After Wrongful Conviction for 1957 Murder.” The Huffington Post, 15 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jack-mccullough-freed-murder_us_57114aa2e4b0018f9cba171b?ir=Crime&section=us_crime&utm_hp_ref=crime.

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