Jury to be picked for trial in disappearance of Etan Patz
- 9 years ago
Jury selection has begun in the trial of Pedro Hernandez, accused of kidnapping and killing 6-year-old Etan Patz decades ago in a notorious case that ignited a national movement and new legislation to find missing children.
The 53-year-old former deli worker, who's charged with kidnapping and murder, confessed to the crime in 2012, but his defense attorney says the confession was coerced and that Hernandez was mentally ill at the time.
Patz vanished while walking alone to a school bus stop for the first time in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan on May 25, 1979. His disappearance prompted President Ronald Reagan to sign into law the Missing Children's Assistance Act, and Patz was one of the first missing children whose picture appeared on a milk carton.
The jury selection exercise is expected to take several weeks.
The 53-year-old former deli worker, who's charged with kidnapping and murder, confessed to the crime in 2012, but his defense attorney says the confession was coerced and that Hernandez was mentally ill at the time.
Patz vanished while walking alone to a school bus stop for the first time in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan on May 25, 1979. His disappearance prompted President Ronald Reagan to sign into law the Missing Children's Assistance Act, and Patz was one of the first missing children whose picture appeared on a milk carton.
The jury selection exercise is expected to take several weeks.