Manhattan DA to retry Pedro Hernandez in the kidnapping and killing of Etan Patz in 1979

The Manhattan district attorney's office in New York announced Tuesday that it would retry the man it convicted once before in the 1979 murder of 6-year-old Etan Patz.“After thorough review, the district attorney has determined that the available, admissible evidence supports prosecuting defendant on the charges of murder in the second degree and kidnapping in the first degree in this matter, and the people are prepared to proceed,” the district attorney’s office said

The Manhattan district attorney's office in New York announced Tuesday that it would retry the man it convicted once before in the 1979 murder of 6-year-old Etan Patz.

“After thorough review, the district attorney has determined that the available, admissible evidence supports prosecuting defendant on the charges of murder in the second degree and kidnapping in the first degree in this matter, and the people are prepared to proceed,” the district attorney’s office said.

Pedro Hernandez, 64, was convicted in 2017 of kidnapping and murdering Etan — a crime that struck terror into the hearts of parents in New York and across the country and stymied the police for decades.

Conviction in 1979 killing of Etan Patz is overturned01:43Hernandez was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after he admitted to officials that he lured the child into the basement of a bodega in the city’s SoHo neighborhood.

But in July, a federal appeals court in New York overturned the conviction and ruled that Hernandez must receive a new trial or be released from custody. He remains behind bars despite his conviction being overturned.