(CNN) Jack McCullough is innocent of the 1957 kidnapping and murder of a little girl and never should have been convicted, a judge ruled Wednesday. By granting the 77-year-old military veteran a certificate of innocence, Judge William Brady cleared McCullough's name for good. The decision also returned the killing of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph in Sycamore, Illinois -- the coldest murder case ever tried -- to the unsolved case files. "Based on the changes in the law and the consideration of the additional evidence now available to this court that may not have been available to the trier of fact ... Mr. McCullough's petition is granted," Brady said in issuing his ruling.Man falsely convicted of 1957 murder of 7-year-old girl wins certificate of innocenceJack Daniel McCullough was freed in 2016; decision left door open to new prosecution
At the time, _ left the door open for a new prosecutor to refile the charges.