Revived Pursuit: The 1979 Etan Patz Case Heads to Trial Again

Prosecutors in New York are prepared to retry Pedro Hernandez for the 1979 kidnapping and murder of Etan Patz, after his conviction was overturned. Hernandez was previously found guilty in 2017, but a federal appeal overturned this. The case remains one of America's most infamous child disappearances.

Prosecutors in New York City have declared their readiness to retry Pedro Hernandez, a former delicatessen worker, for the 1979 kidnapping and murder of six-year-old Etan Patz. This move follows the recent overturning of Hernandez's conviction by a federal appeals court.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg has informed a state court judge that sufficient evidence supports the renewal of Hernandez's prosecution on the same charges he faced previously. The case, which once fueled national panic about abducted children, has been returned to its pretrial phase.

In 2017, Hernandez was convicted of Patz's kidnapping and murder. However, a panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the trial jury was misdirected, nullifying the conviction. Prosecutors now aim to retry the case and potentially petition the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the appellate ruling.

(With inputs from agencies.)