SYCAMORE, Ill. (AP) — A DeKalb County judge has set a January court hearing for a 76-year-old man serving a life sentence in the death of a northern Illinois girl in 1957.
Jack D. McCullough is due in court Jan. 14 as he tries to appeal his 2012 conviction in the death of Maria Ridulph of Sycamore.
The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle reports that Judge William Brady could appoint an attorney for McCullough, who is seeking post-conviction relief. The judge also could rule based on information provided from McCullough and prosecutors.
DeKalb County Judge Robert Pilmer rejected McCullough’s petition in September. But McCullough filed another motion in December. McCullough is representing himself and wrote his original petition from prison by hand. McCullough has maintained his innocence. He claims evidence shows he was elsewhere when the girl was abducted.