US Supreme Court restores conviction in 1979 Etan Patz NYC murder case

The US Supreme Court has reinstated the 2017 murder conviction of Pedro Hernandez, who was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering 6-year-old Etan Patz in 1979. This decision overturns a lower court's ruling that had dismissed the jury's verdict. The case is one of the most notorious US missing-child cases.

The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling, delivered by its conservative majority, stated that the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals had violated a 1996 federal law limiting the power of federal courts to grant relief to state prisoners. The three liberal justices dissented.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg welcomed the decision, stating, "Today the Supreme Court agreed with the findings of multiple lower courts and upheld the trial conviction of Pedro Hernandez for the horrific murder of Etan Patz, which changed a generation of New Yorkers." He added that his office remains steadfast in its pursuit of justice for Etan and the Patz family.

Etan Patz disappeared in 1979 while walking to a school bus stop in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood. His case became prominent as his face was among the first missing children to be featured on milk cartons, a campaign aimed at generating tips. Hernandez was arrested in 2012 after confessing to a church group decades earlier and later to police that he had lured Patz to a basement, strangled him, and disposed of his body. Hernandez's defense argued he was mentally ill and his confession coerced, also attempting to shift blame to Jose Ramos, a former suspect who died in March.

Hernandez, now in his mid-60s, was first tried in 2015, but the jury could not reach a verdict. He was convicted at a second trial in 2017 and sentenced to 25 years to life. However, his conviction was overturned in 2025 by the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals, which found the trial judge had given incorrect instructions to the jury.

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Today the Supreme Court agreed with the findings of multiple lower courts and upheld the trial conviction of Pedro Hernandez for the horrific murder of Etan Patz, which changed a generation of New Yorkers. This office has remained steadfast in its pursuit of justice for Etan and the Patz family, and will continue to stand by this important conviction.