Pedro Hernandez has been charged with second-degree murder in the case of Etan Patz, 33 years to the day after the New York boy disappeared.
Hernandez was being held for evaluation on potential suicide watch at Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, according to a law enforcement source.
Patz's disappearance helped spawn a national movement to raise awareness of missing children, including the then-novel approach of putting an image of the child's face on thousands of milk cartons. Ref. CNN
Judge declares mistrial in Etan Patz case; jury can't reach verdict
The trial of Pedro Hernandez, 54, who confessed to kidnapping and murdering 6-year-old Etan Patz, the boy whose disappearance sparked a nationwide movement to find missing children 35 years ago, ended in a hung jury, according to the New York Times and local media. Ref. USAToday
A waste to have so much time and resources to be placed into one trial for so long to end in a mistrial. It brings no closure to the family.
International Level: Junior Politician / Political Participation: 67 6.7%
A New York state court jury found Pedro Hernandez guilty in the 1979 kidnapping and murder of Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy whose disappearance sparked an era of heightened awareness of crimes against children, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said.
The conviction brought to a close what Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. Called one of New York's "Oldest and most painful unsolved crimes."
Patz disappeared on May 25, 1979, as he walked to a school bus stop. The search for him included the placement of his photo on milk cartons, the first time the method was used to help locate missing children. Ref. CNN.
Pedro Hernandez sentenced to at least 25 years in prison for 1979 death of Etan Patz, one of first missing children to appear on a milk carton
The 56-year-old former convenience store clerk was convicted in February of killing the 6-year-old New York City boy. Ref. USAToday.