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Supreme Court Reinstates 2017 Conviction After Appeals Court Had Overturned It in Etan Patz Case
The U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 on Monday to restore Pedro Hernandez's conviction for the kidnapping and murder of 6-year-old Etan Patz. The unsigned per curiam opinion reversed a federal appeals court ruling that had overturned the 2017 verdict. Hernandez, now 64, had been serving a sentence of 25 years to life.
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The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated Pedro Hernandez's 2017 conviction for the kidnapping and murder of 6-year-old Etan Patz on Monday. The justices voted 6-3 to grant New York prosecutors' appeal and reverse a ruling by the 2nd U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals that had overturned the verdict over a jury-instruction issue. The three liberal justices dissented. The unsigned per curiam opinion stated that the Second Circuit exceeded its authority under a 1996 federal law limiting federal oversight of state criminal trials.
Hernandez, 64, had been serving a sentence of 25 years to life. His first trial ended in a mistrial. The second trial lasted five months and featured 66 witnesses. Prosecutors had been preparing to try him a third time before the Supreme Court ruling.
Etan Patz disappeared from New York City in May 1979 while walking to a school bus stop. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated the office would continue to stand by the conviction. Defense attorneys Harvey Fishbein and Alice Fontier stated they believe an innocent man is in jail.
