Judge to rule next week on innocence request in 1957 killing

A DeKalb County judge plans to rule next week on a request by a man to be declared innocent in the 1957 kidnapping and killing of a 7-year-old.

Jack McCullough testified Thursday in Sycamore that he’s been “proven innocent,” but the 77-year old says he’s been “put forward as a monster.”

Earlier this year, DeKalb County Judge William Brady overturned McCullough’s conviction after authorities said evidence suggested he had an alibi.

Brady plans to rule Wednesday on McCullough’s request, the Daily Chronicle reported.

McCullough was convicted in 2012 and sentenced to life in prison in the death of Maria Ridulph.

Attorneys who asked for Thursday’s hearing say McCullough didn’t commit the crime for which he spent nearly five years in prison and that he wants to move on with his life.