SYCAMORE – The man found guilty last month of kidnapping and killing a Sycamore girl almost 55 years ago blames the judge for throwing out documents that he says prove his innocence.

In a letter to the Daily Chronicle and the people of Sycamore, Jack D. McCullough wrote that FBI records which were barred from his trial provide his alibi for Dec. 3, 1957, the night 7-year-old Maria Ridulph was abducted not far from her Sycamore home.

“Many of you that were at my trial on Sept. 14 cheered as if your team had just scored the winning point at the last second of the game while I sat in shock and disbelief at the verdict of guilty,” McCullough wrote.