Home / Crime and Justice / Etan Patz Case: New Trial Ordered for Convicted Killer
Etan Patz Case: New Trial Ordered for Convicted Killer
26 Nov
Summary
- Pedro Hernandez to face a third trial for Etan Patz's murder.
- Previous conviction overturned due to flawed jury instructions.
- Etan Patz, one of first missing children on milk cartons, vanished in 1979.
The murder case of Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy who vanished in 1979, is heading back to court for a third trial. Pedro Hernandez, who confessed to the crime decades later, had his 2017 conviction overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The court cited flawed jury instructions that prejudiced Hernandez's case.
Hernandez was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering Etan, one of the first missing children to be featured on milk cartons. Prosecutors alleged he lured the boy into a store basement, suffocated him, and disposed of his body. The appeals court deemed the original trial judge's instructions "clearly wrong" and "manifestly prejudicial."
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Sarah Marquez confirmed the office's intention to retry Hernandez, citing sufficient admissible evidence. Judge Colleen McMahon has ordered that a third trial must commence by June 1, or Hernandez will be released. His defense team remains firm in their belief of his innocence.
