AP
Pedro Hernandez
A Manhattan grand jury today indicted a former SoHo bodega clerk for allegedly luring 6-year-old Etan Patz into a basement and killing him 33 years ago, according to court papers.
The panel found there was sufficient evidence to charge 51-year-old Maple Shade, NJ, resident Pedro Hernandez with second-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, according to court papers.
“This indictment is the outcome of a lengthy and deliberative process, involving months of factual investigation and legal analysis," said Manhattan DA spokeswoman Erin Duggan.
"We believe the evidence that Mr. Hernandez killed Etan Patz to be credible and persuasive, and that his statements are not the product of any mental illness. The grand jury has found sufficient evidence to charge the defendant and this is a case that we believe should be presented to a jury at trial.”
Hernandez was arrested in May and he allegedly confessed to strangling Patz.
Cops have struggled to build a case against Hernandez beyond his confession, law enforcement sources have said.
Defense lawyers have said Hernandez struggled with psychological problems and his confession could be tainted.
Little Etan's disappearance prompted an international search and spawned a movement to publicize missing children cases.
The missing SoHo boy is widely considered to be the first “milk carton kid.”
Additional reporting by David K. Li
Stanley Patz
Etan Patz
Pedro Hernandez indicted in 1979 death of Etan Patz
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Pedro Hernandez indicted in 1979 death of Etan Patz
