Supreme Court reinstates Pedro Hernandez’s conviction in the Etan Patz murder case
The Facts
- The Supreme Court reinstated Pedro Hernandez’s conviction in the 1979 kidnapping and murder case of 6-year-old Etan Patz.
- The court ruled 6-3 in an unsigned opinion, and the three liberal justices dissented.
- The ruling reversed a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that had overturned Hernandez’s conviction and said he was entitled to a new trial.
- Hernandez was convicted in 2017, and his first trial had ended in a mistrial.
- Before the Supreme Court’s decision, New York prosecutors had been preparing to try Hernandez for a third time.
- The Second Circuit had overturned the conviction because of how the trial judge responded to a question from jurors.
- Etan Patz disappeared in Manhattan in 1979 while walking to a school bus stop, and the case became one of the best-known missing-child cases in the United States.
How left and right are reading this
- Both agree
- A third trial over the judge’s answer to a juror question would have imposed real costs after a mistrial, retrial, and already-rendered jury verdict.
- They split on
- Whether the story is about sacrificing procedural caution for finality, or about respecting a jury verdict after repeated rounds of review.
Analytical frames for this storyTap to explore
Context
Why was the case back before the Supreme Court?
The Supreme Court took up the case after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned Hernandez’s conviction and said he should get a new trial. New York prosecutors asked the justices to reverse that ruling NYT,AP NEWS.
What does the Supreme Court’s decision change?
The decision restores Hernandez’s 2017 conviction and means he will not receive the new trial that the appeals court had ordered. Prosecutors had been preparing for a third trial before the ruling PBS.org,Reuters.
Why has the Etan Patz case remained so prominent?
Patz’s 1979 disappearance in Manhattan became one of the country’s most recognized missing-child cases and helped draw national attention to missing children. Multiple outlets note that the case had a broad public impact beyond the criminal proceedings themselves CBS News,CNN International.
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Wire services (18)
APInternational Business Times, Singapore EditionWho Was Etan Patz? Supreme Court Reinstates Pedro Hernandez'...
ReutersSuperhits 97.9 Terre Haute, INUS Supreme Court restores conviction in 1979 Etan Patz missi...
Independent coverage (50)
Courier-PostCourt nixes new trial for Ethan Patz's convicted killer of M...
News Talk 920FM | 96.5FMSupreme Court reinstates murder conviction in 1979 case of 6...
Jewish News SyndicateUS Supreme Court reinstates conviction in Etan Patz 1979 mur...
Northwest Arkansas Democrat GazetteJustices reinstate man's conviction in '79 murder | Northwes...
Post and CourierSupreme Court restores conviction in '79 missing-child case
The Jerusalem PostSupreme Court restores murder conviction in 1979 Etan Patz c...
mdzEtan Patz: el trágico final del caso del pequeño símbolo de ...
El Diario Nueva YorkTribunal Supremo de EE.UU. restablece condena por asesinato ...
Arutz Sheva Israel NewsSupreme Court upholds conviction in 1979 Etan Patz murder
100 Percent Fed UpBREAKING: SCOTUS Issues 6-3 Ruling Overturning Key Verdict -...
COLOSALEtan Patz: el trágico final del caso que se convirtió en sím...
GV WireSupreme Court Restores Conviction in 1979 Murder of Etan Pat...
La Opinión DigitalCorte Suprema restablece condena contra Pedro Hernández por ...
Washington ExaminerHigh court reinstates Hernandez murder conviction in Patz ca...
AcentoEtan Patz: el trágico final del caso del pequeño símbolo de ...
E! OnlineWhat to Know About the 1979 Murder of Etan Patz, Who Disappe...
Los Angeles MagazineSupreme Court Revives Etan Patz Murder Conviction
The Philadelphia InquirerSupreme Court restores conviction in 1979 murder of Etan Pat...
Fort Wayne Journal GazetteSupreme Court reinstates murder conviction in case of Etan P...
Telemundo SacramentoNuevo giro en el caso Etan Patz, el niño de 6 años que desap...
TimesNowWho Killed Etan Patz? Inside the 1979 Child Murder Case as S...
BreitbartVIDEO: SCOTUS Reinstates Murder Conviction in Etan Patz Case
NourishJustices weigh appeal in Hernandez case
THE LOCAL REPORT ARTICLESWho was the killer in the 1979 Etan Patz case? Supreme Court...
WHMI 93.5 FMWHMI 93.5 FM Radio Station -- Livingston County Michigan
amNewYorkU.S. Supreme Court reinstates murder conviction of alleged k...
Hindustan TimesWho is the killer in the 1979 Etan Patz case? Supreme court ...
The Wall Street JournalSupreme Court Reinstates Murder Conviction in Etan Patz Case
MundoNOWRestablecen condena en el histórico caso de Etan Patz, símbo...
MS NOWSupreme Court rules 6-3 against Pedro Hernandez on appeal in...
Washington PostSupreme Court restores man's conviction in murder of 6-year-...
Honolulu Star AdvertiserSupreme Court restores conviction in 1979 murder of Etan Pat...
La Voce di New YorkEtan Patz Murder Verdict Finalized by SCOTUS: the Truth May ...
YahooUS supreme court reinstates murder conviction in case of Eta...
UPISupreme Court restores conviction in Etan Patz case
YahooSupreme Court restores conviction in Etan Patz case
Yahoo NewsSupreme Court Reinstates Conviction in Murder of Original Mi...
Missouri Lawyers MediaSupreme Court restores conviction in 1979 Etan Patz missing-...
MediaiteSupreme Court Reinstates Murder Conviction in Notorious NYC ...
YahooUS Supreme Court restores conviction in infamous New York mu...
TelemundoCorte Suprema restablece condena de homicidio contra hombre ...
infobaeEl Tribunal Supremo de EE.UU. restablece la condena para el ...
infobaeLa Corte Suprema restablece la condena por asesinato en el c...
Internewscast JournalSupreme Court Restores Murder Conviction in Etan Patz Killin...
ABC 22 - WJCL SavannahSupreme Court restores conviction in infamous murder of 6-ye...
WESHSupreme Court restores conviction in infamous murder of 6-ye...
AccessWDUNSupreme Court reinstates murder conviction in case of Etan P...
NST OnlineUS Supreme Court restores conviction in 1979 Etan Patz missi...
GothamistSupreme Court restores conviction in Etan Patz murder
CBS NewsSupreme Court reinstates murder conviction in 1979 disappear...
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