Assistant State’s Attorney provides information at McCullough status hearing

This July 27 file booking photo provided by the DeKalb County Sheriffs 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.

AP

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.

By Dave Gong
November 1, 2011

The man charged with the 1957 kidnapping and murder of Maria Ridulph appeared in court Tuesday for his latest status hearing.

Victor Escarcida, DeKalb County Assistant State’s Attorney, said the prosecution provided the defense with discovery information, including a copy of the grand jury transcript.

Jack Daniel McCullough, 71, was indicted on Aug. 19 and is charged with murder, kidnapping and the abduction of an infant. McCullough was also charged on Sept. 30 with one count of rape and four counts of indecent liberties with a child. Court documents allege McCullough sexually abused another Sycamore girl in the early 1960s.

The state has chosen to prosecute McCullough for the rape charge first, with trial set to begin Jan. 5.

McCullough’s next scheduled court appearance is set for Nov. 8. Circuit Judge Robbin Stuckert will make a ruling on a motion filed by the Chicago Tribune and the Associated Press to quash subpoenas issued by the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office for reporters’ notes of interviews conducted with McCullough while he was in custody in Seattle.