A (30:43)
On June 29, 2011, the Maria Ridoff Task Force assembled outside a retirement community in north northwest Seattle. John Tessier, now in his 70s, lived and worked as a security guard there for the past 20 years. He had enjoyed a relatively quiet life with his fourth wife, Sue. That was all about to change because that morning he was being arrested for the 1957 kidnapping and murder of Maria Ridolf. Officers climbed the stairs and flooded the narrow hallway outside his apartment. When they knocked, John didn't open the door. Instead, they heard his muffled voice from inside, yelling at them to go away. It took some debate, but eventually John agreed to come down to the station peacefully. And once he was in the interrogation room, he surprised detectives with how willing he was to talk. Though he was a former police officer himself, he didn't ask for a lawyer right away. He was cordial and answered their questions. That changed when they brought up his sister Jean's allegations. At that point, it was like a switch had flipped. He became visibly angry and uncooperative. Detectives seized the moment to ask about his alibi. When they pointed out the holes in his account, he claimed he didn't remember. Then when they pressed him forward further, he changed his official story. After seeing Jan's unpunched train ticket, John claimed he hadn't taken the train to Chicago that day. Instead, he said, he hitchhiked. When they asked if his stepfather truly picked him up that night in Rockport, he said he might have hitchhiked home, too. As for his sisters, he called Them liars. And he absolutely refused to believe his mother had made a deathbed confession about him. John's behavior only helped convince detectives he was their guy. Two days later, on July 1, 2011, John Tessier was charged with the abduction and murder of Maria Ridolph. A few weeks later, John was extradited to Sycamore, Illinois. It was a huge breakthrough, but the authorities still didn't have enough evidence to take him to court, at least not for the murder of Maria Ridoff. So while they continued to build their case against him, they figured they could get him for another crime. One that would clearly establish him as a predator. On September 8, 2011, Illinois police filed charges against John Tessier for sexually assaulting his half sister, Jean. And in 1962, the charges came as a surprise to Jean. For decades, she'd kept the incident between herself and her therapist. She'd only told detectives because she thought it would help with Maria's case in Illinois. At that time, the statute of limitations for a sex crime against a minor was 20 years. So she doubted such an old accusation would be taken seriously by a judge. Still, her siblings, who'd only recently learned about the assault, encouraged her to testify. In the end, Jeanne agreed. The proceedings began on April 10, 2012. It was a bench trial, which meant there was no jury, only a judge presiding over the case. Sadly, Jean turned out to be correct. Given how old the charge was and the lack of physical evidence, the the entire weight of the prosecution depended on her testimony. And unfortunately, it wasn't enough. On April 12, the judge found John Tessier not guilty of sexual assault. For Jean, the verdict was disappointing and embarrassing. It also didn't bode well for Maria Ridoff's trial. Even so, the police were confident that they'd spent the last three years gathering every bit of evidence they could to support their reworked timeline. Now they were determined to close the case. A few Months later, on September 10, 2012, the trial began. And right away, things didn't look good for 73 year old John Tessier. The first blow came when the Judge ruled that FBI documents from 1957, the ones that cleared him as a suspect, were inadmissible as evidence. That included the documentation supporting his initial alibi, as well as the record of the collect call he placed from Rockport. Because all of the FBI agents who wrote the reports, were dead. Those documents were determined to be hearsay. A second blow came soon after. Even though John's mother, Eileen had also passed away, her deathbed confession was allowed to be admitted into evidence as an exception. Throughout the entire proceedings, Maria's surviving siblings were in the courtroom. After 55 years, they thought they were inching towards the closure they'd been waiting for. On September 14, 2012, the judge delivered the verdict. John Tessier was guilty of kidnapping and killing Maria Rudolph. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. At the time, this made Maria's murder the oldest cold case that had ever been solved. Journalists from all over the country flocked to Sycamore to cover the story, hailing it as a once in a lifetime victory. They saw it as proof that justice was possible. But as always, the truth was more complicated. After his conviction, John continued to proclaim his innocence. At his sentencing hearing, he clung to the new version of his 1957 alibi, insisting he had hitchhiked to Chicago, then hitchhiked home on the night of Maria's disappearance. By September 2015, the 76 year old still hadn't given up. He filed a request for post conviction relief, which one judge dismissed as frivolous and without merit. But a few months later, he made another attempt to present his case before a different judge. This time his request was granted. State attorney Richard Schmack was instructed to take a fresh look at the case. That MEANT A new six month investigation that involved sifting through 4,500 pages of documentation. By the end of the review, Schmack was convinced that John's trial had been mishandled. He determined that the majority of the evidence, some of which was excluded from the 2012 proceedings, matched up with the FBI's original timeline. He believed Maria was abducted somewhere closer to 7pm that night. That meant John's collect call from Rockport still lined up. With these crucial details in mind, Schmack ordered that John be released pending a new trial. Maria's surviving siblings were crushed by the news. They argued that a special prosecutor should be appointed to take over the case and lead a new trial against John. In 2016, a judge denied their motion and John was officially acquitted of all charges. Since then, there hasn't been much progress for the Riddulphs. Meanwhile, John has been racking up legal victories. In 2020, the 78 year old successfully sued police departments in Sycamore, the state of Illinois and Seattle for what he called pervasive misconduct during the investigation. The lawsuits were settled out of court. John was awarded more than $300,000 by the city of Seattle where he had been arrested, another 350,000 by his hometown of Sycamore, and nearly $4 million from the state of Illinois. Given his age and the many challenges detectives have faced, it's safe to say the murder of Maria Ridolph has gone cold once again. Now nearing the 68th anniversary of her disappearance, it's devastating to acknowledge that justice never came. Today, many still think John Tessier, who who hasn't been heard from since 2020, is to blame. However, others believe Maria was the victim of a serial killer or a drifter who was never caught. Back in 1957, forensic technology was in its infancy. Maybe if the FBI had access to DNA profiling back then, we would know the truth. Unfortunately, we'll probably continue to live in that gray area the same way the Ridolphs have for decades. Maria's story is heartbreaking for so many reasons, but it's also inspiring. Instead of tearing her family apart, it only made them stronger and more determined than ever. And while the Tessiers have had a very different experience, Janet and her sisters emerged as a united front, one that isn't afraid to stand up to predators, even when they share the same blood. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Carl Carter Roy and this is True Crime Stories. Come back next time for another murder and all the people it affected. True Crime Stories is a Crime House original powered by Page Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media, rimehouse on TikTok and Instagram. Don't forget to rate, review and follow True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference. And to enhance your Murder True Crime Stories listening experience, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode ad free and instead of having to wait for each episode of a two part series, you'll get access to both at once plus exciting bonus content. We'll be back on Tuesday. True Crime Stories is hosted by me, Carter Roy and is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Murder True Crime Stories team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benidon, Natalie Pertofsky, Laurie Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Tara Wells and Russell Nash. Thank you for listening.
