The second trial of Pedro Hernandez in the May 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz could begin as soon as Wednesday, State Supreme Court Justice Maxwell Wiley said. Hernandez’s 10-week trial in 2015ended with a hung jury, in which jurors voted 11-1 to convict him after 18 days of deliberation. After a tip surfaced in 2012, Hernandez was arrested and confessed on videotape to killing Patz after luring him into the basement of the SoHo bodega where he worked by offering him a soda. Hernandez, a teenager at the time, said that he choked the boy and disposed of his body two blocks away. Patz’s remains were never found. Hernandez’s lawyers said that he has mental issues, and he was diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder by a defense psychiatrist.
Twelve jurors have been seated for the retrial, NY1 reported. The selection of six alternates began Tuesday.
Retrial of Etan Patz’s accused killer could begin Wednesday
File photo
