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

[Indy Anna]

A man charged with killing a 6-year-old boy who infamously vanished in 1979 while walking to catch a school bus pleaded not guilty Wednesday as his lawyer insisted his confession to police was false.
<snipped>
Fishbein [Hernandez's lawyer] also noted a body was never recovered. He said that Hernandez confessed falsely after seven hours of questioning by police and that he is still under medical and psychiatric care.
"My client is not happy that he is in jail," Fishbein said.
<snipped>
Fishbein said he would seek to dismiss the case because the only evidence is his client's false confession. Under state law, a confession can be enough to convict someone as long as authorities can establish a crime occurred and the confession is reliable.
<snipped>

More at:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/nj-man-denies-killing-ny-boy-vanished-1979-17940462#.UMlfZqxklM8

Looked like Stan and Julie Patz were about to get some answers. Instead, their nightmare is continuing.

 

[John Sands]

Hernandez pleaded 'not guilty' and one of the news sites said that in his confession he said that Etan was breathing when he dumped the body. It's part of the headline to make one think that he gave that info today


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_...-boy-was-still-breathing-when-he-dumped-body/

 

[fascination]

Hello - this may not have much direct relevance to the Etan Patz case, but I just thought I'd post this, anyway. I was indulging in a little nostalgia and watching this mid-'90s music video - when the background/setting piqued my interest. I have a very low-level of expertise of N.Y.C. neighborhoods - but the more closely I looked at the background, the more it seemed like this video could have been filmed in SoHo. What's more, scenes such as the ones at 1:20, 1:27 - 1:32, 1:56, 2:10 - 2:14 particularly struck me as familiar; these scenes may contain locales that are relevant to the case (I am uncertain of this).

When I Googled "Sally Hawkins Gallery" (seen at about 1:56), the first hit put its location at the corner of West Broadway and Prince Street - which, if memory serves - is the very corner where Etan was to catch the school bus (there is some uncertainty as to whether he ever made it that far; if Pedro Hernandez is to be believed, Etan at least made it to that corner).

http://www.billschifferjewelry.com/sallyhawkinsgallery.html

Obviously, I am not claiming that this video sheds any new light or offers any clues - but close followers of the case (or connoisseurs of SoHo) may find this of some interest. IS that basement entrance seen at 1:20 the very one that has been so relevant/pivotal to the case - the entrance to Othniel Miller's former workspace? From studying a couple of photos of last April's search, it seems like it could be:

Changing Faces - Foolin' Around (1994) - YouTube

If you spot anything else that may be of any interest, please do point it out. (Given my low level of familiarity with the neighborhood, I may have missed some things.) For ex., they may be walking on Prince Street at 0:47 - 0:51.

 

[John Sands]

What gives with this case? I thought that Hernandez was due in court in the middle of February. No news that I can see.

 

[John Sands]

http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuter...an_Patz_case,_a_confession_is_just_the_start/

 

[John Sands]

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...-assist-patz-murder-defense-article-1.1297899

 

[seattlechiquita]

not too familiar with this case, so bear with me. Is the evidence against this guy overwhelming? Since he recanted his confession, I wonder if he was just making ***** up to get 15 minutes of fame.

 

[STANDREID]

not too familiar with this case, so bear with me. Is the evidence against this guy overwhelming? Since he recanted his confession, I wonder if he was just making ***** up to get 15 minutes of fame.

There's no overwhelming evidence because there's no evidence at all, in fact, there's not any evidence that Patz is even dead.

 

[seattlechiquita]

There's no overwhelming evidence because there's no evidence at all, in fact, there's not any evidence that Patz is even dead.

Gotcha, thanks.

 

[John Sands]

Does the fact that the Patz family declared Etan legally dead, in order to sue Ramos, evidence that the boy is dead? Curious about that

 

[Perodicticus potto]

Does the fact that the Patz family declared Etan legally dead, in order to sue Ramos, evidence that the boy is dead? Curious about that

No, it is purely a legal formality. Anyone who has been missing for more than a certain length of time can be declared dead if the survivors choose to request it (most often they find this necessary to tie up legal or financial loose ends). There's a good explanation of this on the Straight Dope site: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2253/what-happens-when-someone-legally-dead-shows-up-alive

 

[John Sands]

I was wondering if he was legally declared dead then Hernandez's lawyer can't demand that there be a body produced. thanks

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

http://wildabouttrial.com/spring-trial-likely-in-ny-missing-boy-cold-case/

I hope this is the answer and that his family can get some kind of answers. I don't know if peace ever comes after losing a child.

 

[STANDREID]

Maybe this guy did it but, unless there's some evidence that I don't know about, I don't see how they can even take him to trial.

 

[los2188]

Prosecutors say man accused of killing NYC boy missing since 1979 has dark past.

NEW YORK &#8211;

Prosecutors say the man charged with killing a 6-year-old New York City boy who disappeared in 1979 has a disturbing past.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/12/1...accused-killing-nyc-boy-missing-since-17-has/

 

[citylady]

Fascinating article - first I had heard of this..

http://www.propublica.org/article/are-you-etan-patz?

Late last year, ProPublica published an examination of the Manhattan District Attorney’s decision to prosecute the man who had confessed to murdering Patz. The accused, Pedro Hernandez, had a history of mental illness, and there was little evidence to corroborate his surprising claim. Hernandez had never been a suspect during years of investigation by the police and the FBI. Indeed, news reports surfaced soon after Hernandez’s arrest in May 2012 suggesting that the FBI didn’t believe that the right man had been apprehended.

 

[gregjrichards]

I just wanted to post this article which is probably just the FBI being thorough.

The FBI appears to believe that missing Etan Patz, who vanished aged six from a New York City street in 1979, could still be alive.

Last month, a 30-year-old married man living and working in Europe, was contacted by a federal investigator on a tip-off that he could be the missing boy.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2556193/Does-FBI-think-Etan-Patz-alive.html#ixzz2sy5LLiCT

I didn't realize the 11 year age difference between this man and Ethan at the time of posting so this man definitely is not him.

 

[Donjeta]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/longtime-suspect-in-etan-patz-disappearance-gets-prison-time/

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - A convicted child molester long suspected in the notorious 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz in New York City will spend six to 20 years in a Pennsylvania prison for failing to register an address under Megan's Law the last time he left prison.
Wilkes-Barre's Times Leader newspaper says a Luzerne County judge handed down the sentence last Thursday against 70-year-old Jose Ramos, who was convicted in January of providing false information to prison officials.

 

[MissMarple74]

This was an interesting thread. I've been following this story since it happened. I lived in NYC in the 70's and my grandfather worked on the same block Etan patz lived on. We would pick my grandfather up after work in our car and drive him home or to or house most days. One day while waiting for my grandfather in our car, my brother and I saw a little boy playing by himself on the street. My mother allowed us to get out of our car to play with him. I remember my brother who was 6 at the time asking this little boy his name and age. His name was Etan which in my 8 year old mind was strange to me. A few weeks later this little boy went missing. My mom had helped hand out fliers and after that, my mom, and I think every other mom in NYC was a bit more cautious allowing their kids to play outside. Anyway I have followed Etan's story over 30 years in hopes of him being found. I don't believe Jose Ramos kidnapped him. I don't know why but it's just a gut feeling telling me he didn't do it. Don't get me wrong, Ramos sounds like a real "winner" but I don't think he did it JMO

 

[Soulmagent]

This was an interesting thread. I've been following this story since it happened. I lived in NYC in the 70's and my grandfather worked on the same block Etan patz lived on. We would pick my grandfather up after work in our car and drive him home or to or house most days. One day while waiting for my grandfather in our car, my brother and I saw a little boy playing by himself on the street. My mother allowed us to get out of our car to play with him. I remember my brother who was 6 at the time asking this little boy his name and age. His name was Etan which in my 8 year old mind was strange to me. A few weeks later this little boy went missing. My mom had helped hand out fliers and after that, my mom, and I think every other mom in NYC was a bit more cautious allowing their kids to play outside. Anyway I have followed Etan's story over 30 years in hopes of him being found. I don't believe Jose Ramos kidnapped him. I don't know why but it's just a gut feeling telling me he didn't do it. Don't get me wrong, Ramos sounds like a real "winner" but I don't think he did it JMO

Welcome to websleuths!

It made me smile to think of Etan playing with children .

Do you remember the name of the street where you would pick up your grandfather?