Supreme Court Upholds 1979 Murder Conviction in Etan Patz Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated a murder conviction linked to the 1979 disappearance of six-year-old Etan Patz, following a 6-3 decision on Monday.

The justices responded to an appeal from New York prosecutors who sought to reverse a federal appeals court ruling that had overturned the conviction of Pedro Hernandez. The dissenting opinion came from three liberal justices.

Hernandez, who is currently serving a 25-year-to-life sentence, was previously set to stand trial for a third time after his first trial ended in a mistrial. The second trial resulted in a conviction, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit later reversed this decision due to concerns over the jury's deliberation process.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg criticized the basis for the appeals court's ruling, describing it as “a slender reed” that disregarded the extensive evidence presented during the five-month trial, which included 66 witnesses.

In its unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court emphasized that federal courts should refrain from second-guessing state courts under a federal law enacted in 1996 aimed at limiting federal oversight of state criminal cases. The court stated, “The Second Circuit exceeded its authority in holding that Hernandez is entitled to relief.”

Hernandez, now 64, initially confessed to the crime during a lengthy police interrogation, but his defense team argues that his confession was coerced due to mental health issues that can cause hallucinations. They also noted that the confession occurred after he had been questioned for approximately seven hours without being informed of his rights.

Etan Patz disappeared on May 25, 1979, while walking to his school bus stop in downtown Manhattan. His case gained national attention as one of the first missing children cases to be featured on milk cartons, and the date is now recognized as National Missing Children’s Day.

Hernandez has faced two trials to date; the first in 2015 resulted in a jury deadlock, while a subsequent trial in 2017 led to his conviction. During that trial, jurors posed a complex question regarding the validity of Hernandez’s confessions, which the judge answered succinctly, leading to the eventual conviction.

Reported by HarborBeat based on WMAR-2 News (source).