The father of the victim and the lead investigator on the case 43 years ago took the stand as testimony began in the murder trial of Michael Ferreira.

Ferreira is one of three men charged in connection with the 1969 death of Tewksbury teen Johnny McCabe. Along with Walter Shelley and Edward Brown, Ferreira is accused of kidnapping McCabe off the street and taking him to a vacant lot in Lowell, where they allegedly tied him up and gagged him in such a way that it lead to his death by asphyxiation.

William McCabe, 85, his voice cracking with emotion, testified about his son and night he disappeared, according to a report published on WCVB.com. He testified that he was not home when his son left for the dance that night and did not recall if Johnny was wearing a belt. The belt is one of the elements the defense intends to use to put forth an alternative theory of how the victim was killed and by whom.

Also testifying was retired Lowell Police Lt. Thomas Conlon, who led the original investigation into the murder. Conlon admitted his memory wasn't 100 percent clear regarding the facts of the case after 43 years, _according to an article published on lowellsun.com_

Conlon did present a somewhat surprising piece of testimony when he said McCabe had not been found hogtied with a rope connecting his ankles and neck, as investigators and prosecutors had been saying. Rather, he said there were three separate ropes on the victim's wrists, neck and ankles, _according to the lowellsun.com article._

Brown, the prosecution's star witness, could testify as early as today, according to the report on WCVB.com._

Click here for Tewksbury Patch's complete coverage of the Johnny McCabe Murder investigation and Michael Ferreira Trial.