Photo: EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP / Getty Images
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced plans to retry Pedro Hernandez for the 1979 kidnapping and murder of six-year-old Etan Patz. Hernandez was initially convicted in 2017 and sentenced to 25 years to life after confessing to luring Patz into a SoHo basement. However, a federal appeals court overturned the conviction in July, citing errors in the trial judge's instructions to the jury. The court ruled that Hernandez must be retried or released.
Etan Patz disappeared on May 25, 1979, while walking to his school bus stop. His case became infamous as he was the first missing child to be featured on a milk carton. Despite being declared dead in 2001, his body has never been found. Hernandez's confession played a significant role in his initial conviction, though his defense argues that his mental illness and low IQ led to a coerced confession after lengthy police interrogation.
The district attorney's office, led by Alvin Bragg, has stated that the evidence supports prosecuting Hernandez on charges of second-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. Hernandez's defense team, led by Harvey Fishbein, expressed disappointment in the decision to retry the case, maintaining Hernandez's innocence. The new trial is expected to begin by June 1, with both parties due in court for a conference on December 1.
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