John J. McCabe

John J. McCabe
Born	(1954-03-13)March 13, 1954 Wilmington, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	September 27, 1969 (aged 15) Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.

John Joseph McCabe (March 13, 1954 – September 27, 1969) was an American boy from Tewksbury, Massachusetts, who was abducted and murdered after attending a Knights of Columbus dance in the nearby city of Lowell. His bound and strangled body was found in an empty lot on Maple Street in Lowell the next day. ^[1] McCabe's murder remained unsolved for over four decades, until April 2011, when three men were arrested for his murder. One was given a deal of no prison time if he testified against the other two. The second was found not guilty at his trial. On February 20, 2014, 62-year-old Walter Shelley, of Tewksbury, after being found guilty of first degree murder, was sentenced in Lowell Superior Court to life in prison for the murder. ^[2] The verdict was later overturned in favor of a finding of second degree murder. Shelley is eligible for parole after 15 years. ^{[3] [4]}

The case was covered in a 48 Hours episode titled "The Pact". ^[5]

References

1. "From the Boston Globe Archives". February 2024.
2. Redmond, Lisa (February 21, 2014). "Tewksbury man gets life in cold-case murder". The Sun . MediaNews Group . Retrieved February 28, 2024.
3. https://apnews.com/article/id-a4cf2eb30c1d41d1be1fc0d8b129b88a
4. https://homenewshere.com/tewksbury_town_crier/news/article_69a36408-e154-11e5-9d74-db8636589434.html
5. "John McCabe murder: A family's search for justice in 1969 teen killing". CBS News . October 25, 2014. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.