Home / Crime and Justice / Supreme Court Restores Pedro Hernandez Conviction in Etan Patz Case
Supreme Court Restores Pedro Hernandez Conviction in Etan Patz Case
22 Jun
Summary
- Supreme Court reversed a lower court's decision granting a new trial.
- Pedro Hernandez was convicted in 2017 for the kidnapping and murder.
- Etan Patz's 1979 abduction changed American childhoods and parental caution.
The Supreme Court has reinstated the conviction of Pedro Hernandez, who was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering 6-year-old Etan Patz in 1979. This ruling reverses a July decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that had granted Hernandez a new trial. The Supreme Court's unsigned opinion stated the lower court exceeded its authority in evaluating the evidence.
Hernandez, arrested in 2012, was first tried in 2015, resulting in a hung jury. A subsequent trial in 2017 led to his conviction. His defense team expressed disappointment, maintaining his innocence. The Manhattan District Attorney's office affirmed its commitment to the conviction, noting the case's profound impact on New Yorkers.
The Supreme Court's action returns the case to lower courts. Etan Patz's abduction, along with Adam Walsh's killing, significantly heightened parental caution nationwide. Investigators struggled for decades to solve the case, with Etan's body never recovered.
