Jack McCullough, left, smiles in court with attorney Russell Ainsworth of the Exoneration Project, Thursday, April 6, 2017, at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore, Ill. McCullough, a retired Washington state police officer, who a prosecutor says was wrongly convicted in the 1957 killing of a 7-year-old Illinois girl is seeking a certificate of innocence. (Matthew Apgar/Daily Chronicle via AP, Pool)
The Associated Press
SYCAMORE, Ill. (AP) - An Illinois judge plans to rule next week on a request by a man to be declared innocent in the 1957 kidnapping and slaying of a 7-year-old.
Jack McCullough testified Thursday he's been "proven innocent," but the 77-year old says he's been "put forward as a monster." DeKalb County Judge William Brady earlier this year overturned McCullough's conviction after authorities said evidence suggested he had an alibi.
The Daily Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/2p8TWGC ) Brady plans to rule Wednesday on McCullough's request.
McCullough was convicted in 2012 and sentenced to life in prison in connection with 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.
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Information from: The Daily Chronicle, http://www.daily-chronicle.com
Jack McCullough looks to his attorney Russell Ainsworth of the Exoneration Project Thursday, April 6, 2017, at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore, Ill. McCullough, a retired Washington state police officer, who a prosecutor says was wrongly convicted in the 1957 killing of a 7-year-old Illinois girl is seeking a certificate of innocence. (Matthew Apgar/Daily Chronicle via AP, Pool)
The Associated Press
Jack McCullough issues a statement to the media with his attorney Russell Ainsworth of the Exoneration Project, left, Thursday, April 6, 2017, at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore, Ill. McCullough is seeking a certificate of innocence in the 1957 murder of Maria Ridulph. (Matthew Apgar/Daily Chronicle via AP, Pool)
The Associated Press