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State Rests Its Case At McCullough Trial

The state has rested its case at the bench trial of Jack McCullough. The 72-year-old is accused in a DeKalb County cold case that dates back to 1957. Prosecutors say he kidnapped and murdered 7-year-old Maria Ridulph. 

Inmate Kirk Swaggerty was among the final witnesses called to the stand by the state. He told the court that McCullough last year admitted killing Ridulph. But Swaggerty also noted that McCullough said he killed the girl accidentally. 

The defense has already called its first witness and testimony will resume Thursday afternoon.

The first defense witness is one of McCullough's half-sisters. She says she was present when their mother made a statement on her deathbed in 1994. Another half-sister called by prosecutors told the court her implicated McCullough in the crime. But the defense witness says she never heard her mother say a name when she said "He did it." However, she says she believed her mother was talking about McCullough.

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