Man charged in 1972 murder case denied pretrial release
The Minnesota man accused of the murder of a Naperville teenager more than 50 years ago will remain in jail as he awaits trial, as decided in a ruling by a Will County judge yesterday.
Barry Lee Whelpley, 78, has been charged in the 1972 murder of 15-year-old Julie Ann Hanson. Hanson disappeared while she was riding her bike to her brother’s baseball game. The next day her body was found in a field near Modaff Road and 87th Street.
Whelpley was arrested in connection with the murder in 2021, when authorities said DNA evidence had linked him to the crime. He has been held in the Will County jail, with a $10 million bail.
Due to the recent change in bail laws because of the SAFE-T Act, Whelpley’s attorney had petitioned for pretrial release, due to his client’s age and poor health. The judge denied that request after hearing from the state about other violent episodes in Whelpley’s past.
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