Brother of Ridulph testifies at McCullough trial
This July 27 file booking photo provided by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department in Sycamore, Ill., shows Jack Daniel McCullough, 71, who has been charged in the 1957 murder of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph in Sycamore.
September 11, 2012
The first day of the trial for a man charged with the 1957 kidnapping and murder of a Sycamore girl began Monday.
Charles Ridulph was brought into court to testify against Jack McCullough, 72. McCullough is accused of kidnapping and murdering Ridulph’s 7-year-old sister, Maria Ridulph.
During the testimony, prosecutors asked Charles Ridulph to paint a picture of what his sister was like in 1957.
“She was very smart,” Ridulph said. ”She liked to sing and read, she was active, friendly and outgoing. She was beautiful.”
At that moment, Ridulph paused and began to cry.
According to the defense, the case against McCullough has some major holes in it.
“The state does not have any direct evidence,” said Robert Carlson, one of McCullough’s attorneys.
Carlson said there is no weapon, no fingerprints, no eyewitnesses and no DNA. He said the evidence against McCullough in this trial is circumstantial.
On Dec. 3, 1957, Maria Ridulph and her friend Kathy Sigman went outside to play near their homes at Archie Place and Center Cross Street. A man who identified himself as Johnny approached the two girls and asked them if they would like piggy back rides, according to a Daily Chronicle article.
According to the Daily Chronicle, Sigman declined the offer and ran home to grab some mittens. Meanwhile, Maria stayed outside and accepted a ride from Johnny.
She went missing and an extensive search for her started soon after. Residents of Sycamore, the surrounding communities and the FBI searched for her.
Ridulph’s remains were found in April 1958; they were found in Jo Daviess County, over a hundred miles away from Sycamore, according to the Daily Chronicle.
Evidence brought in by the prosecution included testimony from Sigman. She pointed McCullough out in a photograph from a 2010 lineup. The photograph included McCullough and two prison inmates. McCullough served time with the inmates while he was incarcerated in DeKalb County jail.
Clay Campbell, DeKalb County state’s attorney, said that the witnesses’ testimonies will show McCullough to be guilty.
“The evidence will show that McCullough gave the piggy back ride—that he kidnapped and killed her,” Campbell said.