Deceased/Not Found NY - Etan Patz, 6, New York, 25 May 1979 #2 *P. Hernandez guilty*

[Indy Anna]

Family finds answers despite mistrial in NY missing-boy case

snipped>>>

Patz said he asked Vance early on to persuade him that he had a better case against Hernandez than Ramos. Vance assured him he'd be convinced by the trial, Patz said.

And he was, although considerable evidence about authorities' investigation into Ramos also was aired in the courtroom.

It was clear how firmly some considered Ramos to be responsible for Patz's death from the testimony of Stuart GraBois, the former federal prosecutor who investigated the case for years and counts Stan Patz among his closest friends.

GraBois testified for the defense and said in court that Ramos had confessed to "kidnapping and murdering Etan Patz," before correcting himself to say there was no confession. While Stan Patz said Friday that GraBois "deserved a medal" and lauded his efforts, he said they led to the wrong guy.

Read more at ...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/05/1...despite-mistrial-in-17-missing-boy-case-that/

 

[thefragile7393]

Wish there was more evidence to pin to Ramos...I'd bet the farm he did it

 

[RR0004]

Since this forum is pretty active right now I'll ask, For those of who can remember, how well-known or publicized was this case in '79? How often did you hear about it on the media? Did the average American (outside of NYC area) know about it? Was it as well known as Caylee Anthony or Elizabeth Smart? Was it a comparable media circus? I know it was '79 but I have no doubt there was a huge circus over John Lennon or Ronald Reagan being shot, which happened around the same time. Of course there was no cable news back then, so you just had newspapers, magazines, the evening news, and radio...how often was it mentioned in those outlets? Or would you say the case has become "bigger" over time?

It wasn't a media circus in the sense that it was covered nightly on shows like NG (don't think they even had that)...but it did go national. More so afterwards (IIRC) because it brought an awareness to the plight of missing children, but in a good way (yes, I do remember these children appearing on milk cartons). It was a terribly sad time here in the NY area. It was incomprehensible that a child could just disappear off the face of the earth. The circumstances around his disappearance were terribly sad. A little boy wanted to be able to walk by himself to catch the school bus...and someone had other plans. IMO, it was Pedro Hernandez.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

"Manhattan DA Says He Will Re-Try Pedro Hernandez in Connection With Etan Patz's Murder"

http://www.twcnews.com/nys/watertown/etan-patz/2015/05/18/manhattan-da-says-he-will-re-try-pedro-hernandez-in-connection-with-etan-patz-s-murder.html

"I think the evidence put in by our prosecutors was compelling and it was clear," Vance said. "It is a challenging case. I've never said otherwise. But it's a case that we believe should be prosecuted. That's why we did. And in our system, it happens from time to time that jurors cannot be unaniamous, and this was one of those cases."

Plans to announce the retrial on June 10th.

 

[epiphany]

Stan Patz on Hernandez:

He strangled him in the detail he goes into in his taped confessions. He placed his body in a banana box and dumped him in a specific place. I believe that a private sanitation worker named Castelino picked the box up a half-hour later as garbage. And that my son is buried in a landfill in New Jersey.”

<snip>

&#8220;I think Hernandez did a terrible thing that day and was haunted by it,&#8221; he says. &#8220;That&#8217;s why he quit a $300-a-week job the next day and moved to New Jersey where he took an $89-a-week job. And later confessed to 10 others in his church group that he had killed a boy. Why they didn&#8217;t tell anyone right away I can&#8217;t say. But he did say he always expected a knock on his door. Hernandez is a religious man who needed to get this crime off his chest.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/patz-dad-criticizes-juror-article-1.2225102

 

[epiphany]

Prosecutor Plans Retrial in Etan Patz Case

Mr. Vance said: &#8220;There are cases that you are going to take to trial where you simply don&#8217;t know whether you are going to get a conviction or not. Our job is not to only try cases where we know what the outcome will be but to try cases that we believe in, where we believe we know who committed the offense and there is proof beyond reasonable doubt. And this is such a case, in my opinion.&#8221;

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/19/n...ick&contentCollection=New York&pgtype=article

 

[Mickie Mouse]

On anniversary, jurors in Etan Patz case gather at the site of his disappearance:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...r-at-the-site-of-his-disappearance/ar-BBkeaC3

 

[dotr]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...-on-national-missing-children-s-day-1.3086480

"National Missing Children's Day

The movement towards National Missing Children's Day began on May 25, 1979, when six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared from a New York City street on his way to school. The massive search and media attention that followed focused international attention to the problem of child abduction and lack of plans to address it.

This momentum grew and as many more missing and murdered children's cases arose, they began to receive an increase in media attention and photographs of missing children began to be placed on milk cartons. In 1983, the U.S. proclaimed May 25 as National Missing Children's Day, followed in 1986 by Canada.

"The Winnipeg Police Service continues to encourage families and guardians to always keep a watchful eye on children in their care, know who their friends are, engage in discussions with them on personal safety issues, and have recent photographs readily available of your children in the event they suddenly go missing," stated a press release from the WPS".

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

"Jurors Attend Hearing on Retrial in Etan Patz Case"

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Etan-Patz-Retrial-Pedro-Hernandez-Jurors-Speak-Hearing-306852991.html

Following the mistrial last month, other jurors said they believed Hernandez could be convicted, and offered suggestions to prosecutors on how to improve their case. Those jurors sat behind the Patz family Wednesday, offering words of encouragement and support. Two alternates also attended.

"I'm very upset," former jury forewoman Alia Dahhan said after the hearing. "Enough is enough. It's been 36 years. Pedro Hernandez needs to pay for what he did."

Judge Maxwell Wiley set a court date for Aug. 3 to determine whether jury selection would begin in December or January.

New trial for man who said he killed New York boy to open in 2016

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Re-trial set for February 22nd.

The judge ruled that the jury will not be allowed to tour the crime scene.

http://nypost.com/2015/12/15/retrial-jury-wont-be-allowed-to-tour-etan-patz-crime-scene/

A Manhattan judge Tuesday nixed prosecutors plan to tweak their case for the retrial of Etan Patz’s accused killer by taking jurors on a tour of the crime scene.

“The danger of contaminating the jury is just too great,” said Justice Maxwell Wiley.

Attorney Harvey Fishbein also tried to switch up his defense, asking the judge to let jurors hear about a prior suspect, carpenter Othniel Miller, who was a handyman in Etan’s apartment building. Investigators excavated his basement workshop in 2012 searching for the missing boy’s remains.

The judge said he would rule at a later date.

 

[dotr]

Re-trial set for February 22nd.

The judge ruled that the jury will not be allowed to tour the crime scene.

http://nypost.com/2015/12/15/retrial-jury-wont-be-allowed-to-tour-etan-patz-crime-scene/

It would be interesting to learn what the "substantial evidence" concerning Othniel Miller, might be, imo.The part about the cadaver dogs alerting to the basement floor is intriguing, but was there something else?
from the link.

Attorney Harvey Fishbein also tried to switch up his defense, asking the judge to let jurors hear about a prior suspect, carpenter Othniel Miller, who was a handyman in Etan&#8217;s apartment building. Investigators excavated his basement workshop in 2012 searching for the missing boy&#8217;s remains.


&#8220;I think the jury should hear there was substantial evidence against Miller,&#8221; said Fishbein.

rbbm.
The judge said he would rule at a later date.

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...-role-etan-patz-murder-case-article-1.2510128

Veteran Manhattan prosecutor Joan Illuzzi will be allowed to resume her role in the Etan Patz murder case as the sides prepare for a second trial this spring.

Illuzzi left the office last year to run for district attorney in Staten Island but returned to the Manhattan DA's office in December after losing the election.

 

[dotr]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/04/n...-patz-say-bodega-worker-killed-their-son.html

Parents of Etan Patz Say Bodega Worker Killed Their Son

FEB. 3, 2016

The parents of Etan Patz say they are convinced a former bodega worker accused of strangling their 6-year-old boy in 1979 is guilty, and they have asked a civil court to overturn a 2004 ruling that another man, Jose Ramos, a convicted pedophile, was responsible.

Etan&#8217;s father, Stan Patz, filed an affidavit on Wednesday morning in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, saying he and his wife, Julie, had no doubt that the accused man, Pedro Hernandez, was the true killer.

Mr. Hernandez, 55, of Maple Shade, N.J., was tried on murder charges last year, but a Manhattan jury could not reach a verdict after 18 days. A second trial is expected to get underway in just a month.

 

[gregjrichards]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/04/n...-patz-say-bodega-worker-killed-their-son.html

Parents of Etan Patz Say Bodega Worker Killed Their Son

FEB. 3, 2016

I was just wondering could Etan's parents doing this cause any issues at trial with a jury or even an appeal? I don't know if it might influence any potential jury members even though they should be making decisions based on testimony and evidence. This is a really tough tough case I really feel for Etan's parents and sister.

 

[GirlMarlowe]

Hello! Newbie here. I've got a few questions and ideas concerning his disappearance and all of the strange details that go with it. I have narrowed it down to these two possibilities:

Theory #1: He was kidnapped. At six years old, he could have been abducted into a new family and convinced that he was not "Etan". If he is alive somewhere, he could either be a happy or frightened and unhappy brainwashed adult who is used to his new life and new name, or he certainly would have broken free and returned home as soon as he was old enough. Remember the Cleveland girls who were found alive after 10 years? That could have been the case with Etan. Unless...

Theory #2: His little soul passed on that day. Or else he would have been seen, or heard, or rescued, or reported by eyewitnesses who had heard the news, maybe taken back home, anything. Anything but missing for this long.

Are there any details concerning his clothes and where they could be? Take Theory #1 and suppose that he is alive. Of course he would have outgrown those cool, funky late-70's threads by now; he'd need to wear something. Nobody saw a boy walking around that fit this description? Nobody looked around for any records of people buying or selling items similar to his unique hat, or sneakers, or any of that? If his clothes weren't sold off, they were probably destroyed by burial or burning. A lot of killers have destroyed personal items that way. How else could they have vanished without a trace?

I've just been wondering about this for a while.

 

[dotr]

Welcome to Ws GirlMarlowe!
It would be a wonderful thing if Etan was still alive, if only...

 

[gregjrichards]

Hello! Newbie here. I've got a few questions and ideas concerning his disappearance and all of the strange details that go with it. I have narrowed it down to these two possibilities:

Theory #1: He was kidnapped. At six years old, he could have been abducted into a new family and convinced that he was not "Etan". If he is alive somewhere, he could either be a happy or frightened and unhappy brainwashed adult who is used to his new life and new name, or he certainly would have broken free and returned home as soon as he was old enough. Remember the Cleveland girls who were found alive after 10 years? That could have been the case with Etan. Unless...

Theory #2: His little soul passed on that day. Or else he would have been seen, or heard, or rescued, or reported by eyewitnesses who had heard the news, maybe taken back home, anything. Anything but missing for this long.

Are there any details concerning his clothes and where they could be? Take Theory #1 and suppose that he is alive. Of course he would have outgrown those cool, funky late-70's threads by now; he'd need to wear something. Nobody saw a boy walking around that fit this description? Nobody looked around for any records of people buying or selling items similar to his unique hat, or sneakers, or any of that? If his clothes weren't sold off, they were probably destroyed by burial or burning. A lot of killers have destroyed personal items that way. How else could they have vanished without a trace?

I've just been wondering about this for a while.

Welcome to websleuths thanks for joining us and for posting in Etan's thread.

I'm in the theory 2 camp unfortunately the accused allegedly and horrifically put Etan out with the deli's garbage and he was taken to the landfill not long after he was killed that day. This theory fits with the fact that no trace of Etan or his clothing has ever been found. Sadly the garbage had been taken away before the authorities had the chance to search it. It's a very difficult case due to the fact Etan's remains have never been found and so much time has passed any forensic evidence in the alleged crime scene is long gone. It would be terrible if Hernandez did this and is not held accountable for it. Etan's family are in my prayers as they await a second trial and all the additional stress that goes with it.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Memory Expert Won&#8217;t Testify in Retrial of Etan Patz Case

http://www.wsj.com/articles/memory-expert-wont-testify-in-retrial-of-etan-patz-case-1456171560

An expert in the science of memory won&#8217;t testify for the defense in the retrial of a man accused of killing 6-year-old Etan Patz, a Supreme Court justice in Manhattan ruled Monday.

Defense lawyers had sought to call psychology professor Daniel Reisberg to the stand in the coming trial of Pedro Hernandez, who is accused of kidnapping and murdering Etan in 1979.

Jurors will be able to judge for themselves whether witness recollections are accurate or not, Justice Wiley said.

&#8220;The average juror will be familiar with the effect of the passage of time on memory,&#8221; he said.

Harvey Fishbein, Mr. Hernandez&#8217;s attorney, said the defense takes &#8220;exception to the ruling.&#8221;

&#8220;When you&#8217;re dealing with 36-year-old memories in an important case, I think the jurors need to know that just because someone says, &#8216;x happened,&#8217; doesn&#8217;t mean it did,&#8221; he said.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Judge Says Retrial in Etan Patz Case Will Start in September

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/25/nyregion/judge-says-retrial-in-etan-patz-case-will-start-in-september.html?_r=0

The retrial of the man accused of killing Etan Patz, the 6-year-old boy who vanished in 1979, will begin after Labor Day, a judge ruled on Tuesday.

The man, Pedro Hernandez, 55, of Maple Shade, N.J., was tried in May 2015, but jurors deliberated for 18 days without reaching a decision. The trial ended with hung jury, with only one juror steadfastly voting against conviction.

The retrial was originally scheduled to begin in March, but the Manhattan district attorney&#8217;s office sought a delay to add a new lead prosecutor and new psychological experts to its team. Mr. Fishbein then requested a postponement because he was undergoing medical treatment on his back. Mr. Hernandez, who has been held at Rikers Island since his arrest, agreed to the delay so that Mr. Fishbein could continue as his lawyer.

The judge who set the new schedule for the trial, Maxwell Wiley of State Supreme Court in Manhattan, is to rule on a series of evidentiary issues in the case by July 11. Jury selection is now expected to begin Sept. 6 or 7.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Judge reverses 2004 ruling that Jose Ramos killed Etan Patz

http://nypost.com/2016/08/01/judge-reverses-2004-ruling-that-jose-ramos-killed-etan-patz/

A Manhattan judge has dealt a legal blow to the man charged with killing Etan Patz &#8212; by clearing another man who had already been found responsible for the crime.

Supreme Court Justice Joan Kenney has reversed a $2.7 million civil ruling issued in 2004 that said convicted child molester José Ramos killed the 6-year-old in 1979.

Authorites now believe that Ramos is innocent and continue to press a criminal case against Pedro Hernandez, who has confessed to murdering the child.