The Supreme Court Reverses Appeal, Upholds Conviction in Etan Patz Case
The disappearance of Etan Patz, a six-year-old boy from New York City, has haunted the nation for decades. On Monday, the Supreme Court took a decisive step in this long-standing case by reinstating the murder conviction of Pedro Hernandez, linked to Patz’s 1979 vanishing.
By a 6-3 vote, the justices supported New York prosecutors’ appeal, which sought to overturn a prior federal appeals court decision. This earlier ruling had voided Hernandez’s conviction, which was originally reversed due to a jury question mishandling. The court’s liberal justices were in dissent.
Pedro Hernandez was poised for a third trial after his first ended in a mistrial. His second conviction was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which cited concerns about the judge’s response to a juror inquiry. The conviction was initially vacated because the judge’s brief response failed to address the complexity of the jury’s question.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg criticized the basis for the overturn as “a slender reed” that neglected the gravity of a five-month trial involving 66 witnesses. The Supreme Court agreed, noting that federal law discourages federal courts from overriding state court decisions unless absolutely necessary.
“The Second Circuit exceeded its authority in holding that Hernandez is entitled to relief,” the opinion stated.
Hernandez, now 64, is serving a sentence of 25 years to life. Bragg expressed hope that the family of Etan Patz found some solace in the court’s ruling, acknowledging the prolonged anguish they have endured.
Hernandez’s defense team expressed deep disappointment, maintaining their belief in his innocence. Attorneys Harvey Fishbein and Alice Fontier argue that Hernandez’s confessions were coerced due to mental illness, which at times led him to hallucinate. They highlighted that his admissions came after lengthy, unrecorded police questioning before being formally read his rights.
Etan Patz disappeared on May 25, 1979, while en route to his school bus stop in Manhattan. At that time, Hernandez worked at a nearby convenience store. It wasn’t until 2012 that Hernandez emerged as a suspect. Patz’s case became a landmark in missing children’s advocacy, as he was among the first to be featured on milk cartons, and his disappearance led to the establishment of National Missing Children’s Day.
Hernandez’s legal journey has been tumultuous. A 2015 jury deadlocked, leading to a 2017 retrial where a different jury found him guilty. During the 2017 deliberations, jurors inquired whether they should dismiss all of Hernandez’s confessions if the initial one was deemed involuntary. The judge’s concise “no” was later criticized as inadequate by the appeals court.
With the retrial initially set to begin in September, both sides were preparing for further proceedings, including a status update for the trial judge. Moving forward, prosecutors await further directives from the appellate judges and state trial court.
