3rd trial in 1969 Tewksbury slaying to start

LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — The trial of the third defendant in the 1969 slaying of a 15-year-old Tewksbury boy is scheduled to start.

The Sun (http://bit.ly/18zPrVm ) reports that opening statements in the murder trial of 61-year-old Walter Shelley are expected to begin Tuesday in Lowell Superior Court.

Prosecutors say Shelley was one of three men, all teenagers at the time, who kidnapped, beat and then bound John McCabe in September 1969 after a dance. His dead body was found in an empty lot in Lowell.

Prosecutors say the defendants wanted to teach McCabe a lesson for flirting with Shelley's girlfriend.

Shelley has denied the charge.

One of the other men was acquitted of murder, while the second pleaded guilty to manslaughter in exchange for no jail time and cooperation with authorities.

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Information from: The (Lowell, Mass.) Sun, http://www.lowellsun.com

Cox Media Group