Man gets new trial location in toddler’s beating death
A Gaston County judge on Friday agreed to change the location of the trial of a man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter, multiple media outlets reported.
Lawyers for William Joseph McCullen Jr., 26, successfully argued that a trial in Gaston County would be unfair because of publicity surrounding the case. McCullen will be tried in neighboring Cleveland County, the judge ruled.
McCullen was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in August, just hours after police found the remains of Jordan Ann Dumont 500 to 750 yards from her home on Bess Town Road in Bessemer City.
McCullen called 911 to report Jordan missing, telling the 911 dispatcher that he’d fallen asleep and woke up two hours later to find a door open and Jordan gone. That led to a massive search by various agencies and numerous community volunteers. Jordan’s body was found in a shallow grave. An autopsy showed she had been severely beaten.
McCullen’s trial is scheduled for July 2018, Observer news partner WBTV reported.
Joe Marusak: 704-358-5067, @jmarusak
This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Man gets new trial location in toddler’s beating death."