Etan Patz Update: Supreme Court Reinstates NYC Murder Conviction
Summary
The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the murder conviction of Pedro Hernandez for the 1979 killing of 6-year-old Etan Patz. The justices ruled 6-3 that a federal appeals court went too far when it overturned Hernandez’s conviction, allowing his 25 years to life sentence to stand.Key Facts
- Pedro Hernandez was convicted in 2017 of murdering Etan Patz, a child who disappeared in 1979.
- Hernandez confessed in 2012 to abducting and killing Patz, but his lawyers disputed the reliability of that confession.
- Hernandez’s first trial ended in a mistrial in 2015; the second trial led to his conviction.
- A federal appeals court overturned the conviction based on how a judge answered jurors’ questions about Hernandez’s confessions.
- The Supreme Court ruled that the appeals court exceeded its authority in overturning the conviction.
- The ruling means there will be no third trial for Hernandez.
- Etan Patz’s case was one of the first to bring national attention to missing children and led to new safety measures.
- The Supreme Court decision was 6-3, with three justices dissenting without a written explanation.
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