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Judge declines to dismiss case in 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz, setting up 3rd trial
Pedro Hernandez remains jailed after a judge rejected dismissal, keeping alive a case that has already produced a hung jury and one overturned conviction.
- On Friday, New York Judge Michele Rodney ruled to keep the murder case against Pedro Hernandez active, rejecting defense requests to dismiss charges regarding the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz.
- Etan's 1979 disappearance during a two-block walk became a major missing child case, while Hernandez, a 19-year-old clerk then, was interviewed but not initially suspected until a 2012 tip prompted his arrest.
- Defense attorneys Harvey Fishbein and Alice Fontier argue Hernandez's confessions were delusional, while Assistant District Attorney Sarah Marquez maintained that witnesses' "patchy memories are simply the nature of a criminal trial."
- Following a 2015 jury deadlock, Hernandez has remained incarcerated since his 2012 arrest, as a 2017 conviction was later overturned due to judicial errors regarding jury questions about his confessions.
- The Manhattan district attorney's office pledged to pursue a third trial while simultaneously petitioning the Supreme Court to reinstate the previous conviction, with a status update scheduled for June.
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37 Articles
37 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources37
Leaning Left19Leaning Right2Center13Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Left
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources lean Left
56% Left
L 56%
C 38%
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