Patz Killer Denied Mistrial

By ASHLEY MATOS

The motion to overturn the guilty verdict against Etan Patz’s killer on the grounds of jury contamination was denied by Justice Maxwell Wiley on Thursday.

This motion came after the conviction in light of evidence that jurors may have been influenced by the presence of jurors from Pedro Hernandez’s first trial in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Hernandez was convicted on Feb. 14 for the kidnapping and murder of six-year-old Etan Patz in 1979.

“We’ve finally got justice for our son,” said Stan Patz, Etan’s father.

The first trial that took place in 2012 ended in a mistrial after one juror, Adam Sirois, refused to vote guilty. “It doesn’t mean that I don’t support the Patz family, it just means that I support justice,” said Sirois.

Sirois said he believed that the case would be successfully appealed and go to a third trial.

“I hope for a different judge,” Sirois added. “I hope for a different venue if possible; I hope we get a fair trial. I don’t think the past few trials have been fair.”

Sirois said that he believes the real killer was convicted child molester Jose Ramos who had a connection to the Patz family even though Ramos had been cleared of the charges in 2016 after Hernandez’s confession, which the defense argued was unreliable due to Hernandez’s mental instability and low IQ.

Hernandez’s sentencing was  scheduled to take place on Apr. 18.

Photo of Stan Patz by Ashley Matos.