Seattle man charged in 1957 slaying must disclose alibi
SYCAMORE, Ill. (AP) - A Seattle man charged in the slaying of an Illinois girl more than 50 years ago must disclose his alibi at a hearing on Tuesday, a judge said.
Jack McCullough, 72, is charged in the 1957 kidnapping and death of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph, a former neighbor in the small town of Sycamore. But he has maintained that he has an alibi for the day she disappeared and pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors filed a motion seeking information McCullough's claims.
Defense attorney Tom McCulloch told a Kane County judge last week that he needed more specific information on the date, time and place of the slaying so he could better respond to the state's request.
Prosecutor Victor Escarcida has said the DeKalb County State's Attorney's Office has provided enough information for the defense to prepare for trial, and he says prosecutors don't have to offer a specific date for the murder because there is no statute of limitations. McCulloch says the date of Maria's death is critical to his client's alibi.
Maria was abducted from her neighborhood on Dec. 3, 1957, and her remains were found the following April in rural Jo Daviess County.
The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle reports that Kane County Associate Judge James Hallock ordered McCullough's attorneys to disclose information about the alibi on Tuesday but also said prosecutors must give the defense more information.
Maria's abduction in December 1957 made national headlines, with President Dwight Eisenhower and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover reportedly asking for daily updates on the investigation. Thousands of people joined in the search for the girl and fearful parents in Sycamore kept their children locked indoors for months. Maria's body was found a few months later about 120 miles from her home.
McCullough, who was named John Tessier and lived in Sycamore at the time of Maria's disappearance, matched the suspect's description but he had an alibi. It was the same one he gave during a 2011 jailhouse interview with The Associated Press - that he could not have abducted the girl because he had traveled to Chicago that day for military medical exams before enlisting in the Air Force.
McCullough became the focus of the investigation again last year when a high school girlfriend of his discovered an unused train ticket to Chicago behind a framed photograph.
He was arrested in July 2011 in Seattle and returned to Illinois to face charges; a grand jury indicted him on charges of murder, kidnapping and abduction of an infant a month later.
The girl's remains were exhumed from a Sycamore cemetery as prosecutors searched for DNA evidence; they recently were returned to her family and reburied.
McCullough is being held in the DeKalb County Jail on $3 million bond.
Jack McCullough, 72, is charged in the 1957 kidnapping and death of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph, a former neighbor in the small town of Sycamore. But he has maintained that he has an alibi for the day she disappeared and pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors filed a motion seeking information McCullough's claims.
Defense attorney Tom McCulloch told a Kane County judge last week that he needed more specific information on the date, time and place of the slaying so he could better respond to the state's request.
Prosecutor Victor Escarcida has said the DeKalb County State's Attorney's Office has provided enough information for the defense to prepare for trial, and he says prosecutors don't have to offer a specific date for the murder because there is no statute of limitations. McCulloch says the date of Maria's death is critical to his client's alibi.
Maria was abducted from her neighborhood on Dec. 3, 1957, and her remains were found the following April in rural Jo Daviess County.
The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle reports that Kane County Associate Judge James Hallock ordered McCullough's attorneys to disclose information about the alibi on Tuesday but also said prosecutors must give the defense more information.
Maria's abduction in December 1957 made national headlines, with President Dwight Eisenhower and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover reportedly asking for daily updates on the investigation. Thousands of people joined in the search for the girl and fearful parents in Sycamore kept their children locked indoors for months. Maria's body was found a few months later about 120 miles from her home.
McCullough, who was named John Tessier and lived in Sycamore at the time of Maria's disappearance, matched the suspect's description but he had an alibi. It was the same one he gave during a 2011 jailhouse interview with The Associated Press - that he could not have abducted the girl because he had traveled to Chicago that day for military medical exams before enlisting in the Air Force.
McCullough became the focus of the investigation again last year when a high school girlfriend of his discovered an unused train ticket to Chicago behind a framed photograph.
He was arrested in July 2011 in Seattle and returned to Illinois to face charges; a grand jury indicted him on charges of murder, kidnapping and abduction of an infant a month later.
The girl's remains were exhumed from a Sycamore cemetery as prosecutors searched for DNA evidence; they recently were returned to her family and reburied.
McCullough is being held in the DeKalb County Jail on $3 million bond.
Under the principle of innocent until proven guilty, he does not have to provide the prosecution with anything. THEY must prove him guilty beyond a REASONABLE doubt.
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As to whether he actually did it, I believe I'll wait until the verdict is in before I start hanging him.
all the psychos end up here
just lynch the ba$+@rd and call it a day.
 @Scoondog  @rd Yeah. Due process. Constitutional rights. Who needs 'em?
My understanding is this: He claims to have gone to Chicago for a military physical examination. The offices burned down and his records, of any, were destroyed. Recently an ex-girlfriend found an unused ticket to Chicago for that day. This proves that someone purchased a ticket, it may have been him, and it was unused. There is no proof that he purchased the ticket, although he kept it for some reason. There is no proof that he did not travel to Chicago on that day. If he did kill this poor young girl, may he rot in hell forever, but at this point they are stabbing at windmills.  Â
my classmate's mother-in-law got paid $19771 the previous month. she has been making cash on the laptop and bought a $410100 home. All she did was get fortunate and put into use the information shown on this web site
http://LazyCash49.com
This is a very confusing story. If the defendant has already provided an alibi, he must know the dates . . .
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Is the prosecutor fishing?
 @Waif The defendant provided an alibi years ago - that he was on a train to Chicago as the time the little girl went missing - which was recently shot full of holes by the discovery of the UNUSED train ticket. The suggestion seems to be that the defendant first provided himself an alibi by purchasing the ticket, then killed the little girl and hid the unused ticket, making his way to Chicago by other means.
 @JLS1950 How do you know they weren't having a 'two-for-one' sale that day? The evidence against him isn't particularly good. If they're not saying anything more to a jury than they're putting in the news, there's no way they have enough for a conviction.
@JLS1950 @Waif The way I take it from the story is that they are wanting a date for the MURDER not the disappearance. Since the train ticket was unused, his alibi for the disappearance appears not to be valid, unless the Air Force can provide the documention that he was indeed there for his physical. I think the defense now wants a date for the murder so he can provide an alibi for that?
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*This is just my guess*
 @JLS1950 Purely circumstantial. How does anyone know that the ticket found in the photo was purchased by Jack McCullough let alone secreted in that frame by him? Even if he was the person to have bought that ticket how does anyone know he didn't buy TWO tickets and used one as he stated?
"McCulloch says the date of Maria's death is critical to his client's alibi."
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Yah, sure...he's probably wanting it first so he can possibly lie. If he was out of the area, travel dates do not lie unless they are falsified. If he was truly gone, why would the defendant need the date of his own traveling first? He is making no sense on this one!
 @DMT I'd think the prosecution would HAVE to supply the date in question. Lets assume for just a moment that the guy is innocent, (imagine that!) He shouldn't need to have alibis for every day from the time the girl went missing until her body was found.
 @DMT On the contrary, he could have been in one place on a certain day and then in another place the day before or the day after and never had been in the place of the abduction or murder on the pertinent days. As caphillkid states, he is not required to make the state's case against him.
Isn't there a statue of limitations here? I mean, 55 years later you expect the guy to remember where he was. Heck, I can't even remember where i was on this date 30 years ago! sheesh
 @newsreader Not on murder or taxes. I agree tthat if they came up to me and wanted to know where I was on Dec 19 1998, my answer would be 'hellifiknow'
Statute of limitations on murder? Hardly!
 @Alikelystorey Obviously not a Cold Case on CBS fan. :)
I live in the state of Seattle?Â
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Oh AP....
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This guy doesn't have to disclose a damn thing about his alibi. He is not obligated to make the prosecution's case against himself.Â
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The prosecution is going to fail with this case if they can't even provide a date for the alleged murder.
 @caphillkid An alibi is a defensive move, but it must be demonstrated in court. You cannot just say "I have an alibi", you know - otherwise every cold-blooded murderer would always have "an alibi"! The prosecution has every right and obligation to insist that the defendant provide evidence to support his alibi claim, and the onus falls to the defendant to provide such evidence.
 @JLS1950 Hmmm I think not, I think the prosecution has to prove it, and if they get the date wrong, and the guy DOES have an alibi for that date, then they can't prove their case. In THIS case, apparently there IS no other evidence to be discussed, at least as far as we have seen in the news.
 @caphillkid Where in the world does the article say Seattle is a state?  How much other information have you misread?
 @815sasha Oh, and there is a little delete button there if you care to erase your comment and reduce your embarrassment.Â
 @Alikelystorey I hate this new system. Bring back Intense Debate, PLEASE!!!!!!!!
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I prefer the old EDIT button
 @815sasha It was updated cool guy. Read the comment below yours. Thank you, have a nice day, come again.Â
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I love how the changes to the comments section to supposedly improve the way the site works have done nothing to spur the editors to do better at their jobs. This article doesn't even get three words in before there's a mistake. Seattle is not a state.
 @spacegoddess Got it.just had to tap the pad, I am a total genius right now, so I will not comment anymore..have a good day. Hope you laughed a bit..I did, for a minute.
 @spacegoddess I was replying to someone and deleted it several times. I used the word "state" because that is what I am used to..I was going to say, excuse the wrong word, the state has the burden of proof. Period. I guess I should say the defense has the burden of proof. The ticket is strange, he was questioned already, too many ..omg my stupid pad won't work, no mouse and I don't know how to turn it back on..lol. HELP..why am I so glad this happened with you..red light on mouse pad..
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 @spacegoddess Yes and most likely they will soon be charging us to comment..  on a side note jack the ripper?
 @Cindertang  @spacegoddess Charging us to comment? Says who, when? The day they do that is the day I delete my account.