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A former bodega stock clerk arrested for allegedly luring 6-year-old Etan Patz off a SoHo street and strangling him in a basement has been placed on suicide watch at a hospital as a precaution, NBC 4 New York has learned.
Pedro Hernandez, 51, was arraigned from Bellevue Hospital via video feed on a single charge of second-degree murder. The charge comes 33 years to the day that Patz disappeared off a SoHo street in a tragic case that mystified New York City for decades.
Read the criminal complaint against Pedro Hernandez
According to the criminal complaint, Hernandez told police he strangled Patz and placed him inside a plastic bag, causing his death. His court-appointed lawyer, Harvey Fishbein, told the court that Hernandez is a schizophrenic and had both auditory and visual hallucinations. Fishbein requested hearing to determine his client's mental fitness.
Hernandez is in isolation and receiving a medical evaluation at the hospital. Another source told NBC 4 New York that this evaluation is precautionary and that such extra steps in a case like this are often routine.
From the first database for missing children to amber alerts, the Etan Patz case spurred new technologies to aid authorities and the public in locating children who disappeared. NBC's Chris Jansing reports.
For more, visit NBCNewYork.com
Relatives have said Hernandez has a history of some mental issues.
Patz vanished on his way to a school bus in a case that drew international attention and changed the way parents felt about letting their young children go off alone.
Police said Hernandez had admitted to luring Patz into a bodega where he worked, near the boy's house, and choking him to death in the basement.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said police focused on Hernandez, who now lives in Maple Shade, N.J., after the Missing Persons Squad received a tip from someone who remembered Hernandez speaking of having killed a child.
"In the years following Etan's disappearance, Hernandez had told a family member, and others, that he had 'done a bad thing' and killed a child in New York," Kelly said.
A former bodega stock clerk has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and killing 6-year-old Etan Patz in New York City in 1979. WNBC-TV's Jonathan Dienst reports.
Based on that information, police went to question Hernandez.
Kelly said Hernandez, who worked at the bodega for about a month, confessed to police after he was picked up Wednesday night. Some of the interviews were conducted at the scene of the crime, Kelly said.
Kelly said the suspect had not given a reason for attacking Patz and said there was "no reason at this time" to suspect the boy was sexually abused. He said it was "unlikely" Patz's remains would ever be found and that Hernandez told them he put the boy's body in the trash.
Watch US News videos on msnbc.com
Hernandez's lawyer on Friday asked reporters to be respectful of some of Hernandez's relatives assembled at the courthouse, including his wife, daughter and another man, who huddled together on a wooden bench, turning away interview requests for more than an hour.
"It's a tough day. The family is upset. Please give them some space,'' Fishbein said.
His sister, Maria, who did not want her last name used, told NBC 4 New York on Thursday that her heart ached over the news of her brother's arrest and said she couldn't believe it. She said Hernandez had three children of his own and came from a family of 12 that emigrated from Puerto Rico in 1973.
Mayor Bloomberg said Thursday that the disappearance of Patz "broke the hearts of millions" across the nation, especially parents, and expressed sympathy again for the boy's family.
"I certainly hope that we are one step closer to bringing them some measure of relief," he said.
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance had pledged to reopen the decades-old cold case when he took office in 2010.
See a timeline of the case here
The exhaustive search for Patz was renewed several weeks ago when police dug up the basement of a handyman's workshop near where Patz disappeared. A new layer of concrete had been laid over the foundation of the basement shortly after the boy vanished.
That search yielded no new evidence.
A lawyer for the handyman, Othniel Miller, said his client is "relieved by these developments, as he was not involved in any way with Etan Patz's disappearance."
One other man had remained a longtime possible suspect: Jose Ramos, a drifter and onetime boyfriend of Patz's baby sitter. But there was no hard evidence linking Ramos to the crime.
He is in prison in Pennsylvania on a separate case.
The boy's parents, Stan and Julie Patz, were reluctant to move or even change their phone number in case their son tried to reach out. They still live in the same apartment, down the street from the building that was examined in April. They have endured decades of false leads, and a lack of hard evidence.
Police said the family had been notified of the arrest. See more about that here.
Stan Patz had his son declared legally dead in 2001 so he could sue Ramos, who has never been criminally charged with the boy's death and denies harming the boy. A civil judge in 2004 found Ramos to be responsible for the child's death.
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This from another article:
Every year, on the anniversaries of Etan's birthday and disappearance, Stan Patz has sent Ramos a copy of his son's missing child poster. On the back, he types the same message: "What did you do to my little boy?"
I wonder if Ramos did not do it, scum though he may be, if he will find some scumbag lawyer to sue the Patz family now?
If this guy really did do it, while that make Ramos no less a criminal, it is a interesting lesson on how the police and the media often focus on one avenue in cases like this while sometimes the real perpetrator walks free.
And so he should sue the Patz family. AT the time Ramos was not a criminal. Being accused over the last 33 years maybe had some negative impact on him turning him to crime, ever think about that? Ramos should sue for the max he can get. You should not accuse unless you are 100% certain, just like in OJ's case, information now says that he was covering up for his son. Maybe OJ would'nt be in jail seeing as his memorabilia would still be in his possession and not in the hands of the dealers that he was accused of kidnapping. What if's go along way in both cases.
I sure hope if finds the biggest and best scumbag lawyer money can buy.
It is a absolute crime that an innocent man can be harrassed every year and then convicted by a CIVAL court of murder with no hard evidence only speculation and hear say.
I start sending the Dad and the New YOrk courts a picture of the real killer as just a reminder of how wrong and unjust they all were. Speaking untruths and convicting an innocent man is the biggest crime I can think of.
If Ramos doesn't get back whatever was awarded to the Patz family and then some it will be a miscarriage of justice. I really don't think you should be able to sue somebody in a civil court for a crime they never committed.
All your white boys are belong to us.
The Mexicans don't even want their own children. They dump them off in sheds in Oregon three at a time.
Everyone wants the white meat.
www.truetv.com/library/crime/serial_killer/predetors/etan_patz/3.html
There....educate yourself and then defend Ramos. Open your eyes to the bigger picture. One man sued him for wrongful death? SO WHAT!!! Its not like Mr. Patz will ever see the settlement...not that he would find peace from money anyway...money cant buy his sons life back. Hes gone...forever....think about what youre saying.
The Killer IS CAUGHT FINALLY!!!! Hernandez DID NOT give himself UP but was arrested AFTER various tips to the cops that led to him. Yes, it appears that he confessed BUT ONLY AFTER being arrested based on those tips. The B@$T@RD is 52 PLUS 40Years jail time......??????????????.............what's left???
THROW THE KEY A W A Y, A Mental or not; he did NOT have the right to take that little boy's life...And he has put parents in fear of letting their kids out to play in the park. Jail Him for good.......
See and I remember when the news article came out that the police were opening the investigation again... and so many people were mad dogging the police with all the " do they have nothing better to do? " " how much of the tax payers money is wasted on this? He is gone and it's been too long they need to let it go ".... Eat your words @!$%#s. Something good did come of it. Good for this poor boys family!.
What is important now is that hernandez is tried , convicted, IF he is truly the killer AND it certainly looks that way,and sent away to prison for a long long time - 35-50 years. Hernandez is a schizophrenic?? so what... and Please no nutzi plea. He had 33 years to do something and was Finally Turned in; he did NOT turn himself in. Sounds to me he knows the crucial difference between Right and Wrong, important for the imprisonment of the guilty party. Nail him - Jail him.....90s when he gets out.............
And! AND!!! Ramos and Othneil Miller Had Nothing to do with the murder BUT everyone's Attention was fixed on them; No One ever heard of Pedro Hernandez, the True Killer, out of the blue. IMPORTANT the guilty one is convicted and sentenced. Hernandez knew what he did and wanted the others to take the fall for his murder. Mental Problems Bull$h!T; This Perp Knew what was goin' down.....
The latest is hernandez is pleading innocent by reason of mental defect.....NO WAY..If this guy did not turn himself in and was hoping miller and/or ramos would take his heat; then he KNOWS the difference between right and wrong.
A civil suit against Ramos found him liable, yet now we find out with Hernandez's confession Ramos was actually innocent all along. So, did Ramos have to pay the Patz family anything over the years, and if so, is he now eligible for restitution? The whole Hernandez innocent thing is really glossed over in the article.
It's a little early to make a decision. Ramos confessed to luring the child to the apartment but insists he didn't kill him. He may have had a part in it. We don't know he's actually innocent.
In any case, he's been in prison for 27 years, so I doubt he's been making a lot of payments in the civil suit. Also, restitution for what? What sort of damage or injury has Ramos suffered from the civil suit? Humiliation? Slander? Loss of consortium?
I don't know how much of the $2 million (I think?) award he's paid. However, as an attorney, I can tell you that getting the judgment is the easy part; collecting is hard. I think he's what we call "judgment proof". Eventually, the judgment CAN be vacated if the court determines it's appropriate, and Ramos CAN try to recover any payments he made to the family.
When he first talked to family members about having killed a child, did none of those family members, not one, ever think to inform the authorities?
Unthinkable!
One would think that someone in that family of Hernandez would have said something to authorities about his saying he killed a child, I mean who would joke about such a thing?! If any money had been paid by Ramos to Patz and I wouldn't know how that would be possible since he is in jail, and if he is in fact innocent that money should be paid back, but I do not think that he should be able to sue the Stan Patz. He was in jail for something different than killing the boy and getting a poster once a year should not make him mentally unstable or anything and if he is innocent of the crime one would think he would be compassionate toward the family and not think anything else of it. It is said in the report that Hernandez has mental issues so who knows if he really is talking about killing Eton or some other kid. This is an all around sad story for the Patz family. I don't know how far I would go if someone would kidnap my child and I wouldn't know for years where my child is or if killed or whatever, it has to be the worst thing happening to parents. I would do anything possible to try and break someone to speak, as Stan tried by sending the poster of Eton every year, and it was the boyfriend of the babysitter and apparently he was acting suspicious at the time. I remember the story so well, had a little boy that year.
That struck me as odd as well. The way the article reads is in the past he said he'd done something bad and murdered a child....so the people he told that to have been silent for that long? I find that disgusting if it's true.
there is something terribly wrong with people that keep this sort of info 2 themselves. should b some sort of crime. If this guy is so mentally deficient how was he able to cover his tracks for all these yrs. guess u do not need 2 b smart 2 kill someone if he is indeed guilty then he sure is a good actor those friends and family should b thrown in jail as well. how do they sleep at night??
AT the time Ramos was not a criminal. Being accused over the last 33 years maybe had some negative impact on him turning him to crime, ever think about that? Ramos should sue for the max he can get.
Yeah, let's hope this pediphile sues the Patz family for the emotional damage he suffered over the years... By his own addmission he was with a boy matching the description of Etan the day he went missing.
One other man had remained a longtime possible suspect: Jose Ramos, a drifter and onetime boyfriend of Patz's baby sitter. But there was no hard evidence linking Ramos to the crime.
He is in prison in Pennsylvania on a separate case.
@justanotheropinion - I agree. Maybe we can mail the settlement checks to to him care of the PA Prison. "heavy sarcasm"
What is the deal with this boy? It seems that there was so much interest in him by the 3 scumbags in this story. I could be mistaken, but I thought I had previously read that Etan had been molested by one of them, while he spent time with one of the others the evening before his disappearance. Now this guy comes forward and claims he killed him. What was it with this boy that made him such a target by so many?
There's ALWAYS more to every story. Sometimes ALOT more that we will never hear.
Your comment does make me wonder about the boys family life?
razman10 and DOT: Both of your comments make me ill. That is all you can come up with???!! This beautiful boy was murdered at the innocent age of six... His parents never even moved or changed their phone number in all these years in case he came home. Thank God if this is the real killer and Etan's parents can finally know what happened to their precious boy.... And thank God for the law enforcement people that would never let this go.... They are true heroes....
They've arrested a guy with severe mental illness and a history of hallucinations and delusions. Sure, I would totally accept his confession.
Odd. Wouldn't the owner of the bodega be behind the counter and see Hernandez bring the boy into the store and ask what the fk is he doing? Wouldn't there be other people in the bodega that would've seen them?
Latins are inherently sneaky...kinda like cockroaches that sneak around your kitchen at night. If they can sneak 20 humans across the U.S. border at one time, they had certainly sneak one person past anyone at a bodega.
Your a REAL DOUSCHE BAG I must say. It sounds like you have an inferiority complex. You must have have been beaten by your "Hispanic" nanny when you were a child.
On a serious note lets see how many non hispanic molesters are out there. Just saying. Nice to know that your comment had absolutely nothing to offer the conversation either.
BTW I'm Puerto Rican also and we dont have to sneak into the US, we have been PROUD Citizens of the Great United States since 1812 my friend. GET EDUCATED NUMB NUTTS
Garrison Hall, you are suspended for a day for violating rule # 5 of the Code of Honor.
Don't make racist remarks please.
9 deleted, TeaPartyIdiot derailing by predicting a derail.
Way off topic. You're suspended for a day for violating #4 of the Code of Honor.
Now lets wait for the liberals to start saying this case was solved because of the Obama administration
And that has to do with this story how? Or are you just that pathetic?
Don't feed the trolls...
ur sicker than me.
Everyone calm down, user name says it all...
wonder if this Hernandez guy confessed or the NYC cops beat a confession outta this guy....
So Stan Patz, a civial judge and I assume other politicans were legally able to back door a murder conviction via cival court on an innocent man without any hard evidence. Wow, just wow.
Stan Patz, the judge and all involved should be hanging there heads low.. real low today. They were possibly the only reason an innocent man is in jail today with his life ruined.
I feel more sadness for Ramos an innocent victim of a corrupt system, then I do for the loss of life of an innocent child. Bad things happen every day to innocent people and it is a shame. However, to be a victim of a corrupt legal system that is suppose to protect you is just a crying shame. I would gladly walk the streets with murders, rapists, and other felons than to see a innocent man accused and convicted of a crime he did not commit. This is just a reminder that Ramos is not the only innocent man convicted of a crime, there are hundreds, probably more like thousands of innocent people in American prisions at this very moment.
DOT1722169 - Ramos is in prison because he is a pedophile and molested a boy in PA. He is not an innocent man, though its possible he is innocent in the Patz case.
Ramos was not criminally convicted in the Patz case--he is behind bars for other crimes involving other little boys.
He was found liable in CIVIL court for the death of Etan--you do not go to prison for that.
He has never actually paid a dime in restitution to the Patz family.
Oy.
After reading this article he appears to be very much innocent in the Patz case yet our legal system convicted him of murder without evidence most likely because of pressure by the public to solve the case.
No one should ever be convicted or accused of a crime without hard evidence. Pedophile or not he was treated very very wrong by our legal system regarding the Patz case and that is inexcusable. If however regarding the crime he is currently in prison for .. if he was rightfully conviceted with evidence, eyewitnesses, dna, etc. then he is right were he belongs.. in prison for a long long time.
However that does not excuse the neglect, lies and corruption that were most likely present in the fraudulent case againt him regarding Patz.
Dot - He was never convicted of murder in the criminal justice system. It was a civil suit. Difference. Ramos never served jail time in the Patz case, nor did he have to pay restitution. He was a convicted child molester in at least one unrelated case who had access to Etan through Etan's babysitter shortly before he disappeared. Doesn't sound like the completely innocent bystander put away by "the man" that you you are all painting him out to be.
Meanwhile, while you are so busy crucifying the grieving family of a missing boy, I hope the Patz family can finally find some kind of peace now. Etan and my little sister are the same age. When his disappearance made national news I was scared to death to let her out of my sight. When I heard there may finally be a break in the case, I just sat and cried. I just hope this Hernandez guy isn't another crazed cop-show fan looking for his 15-minutes.
Etan would be 40 now. I'm sure a day hasn't gone by that the Patz family hasn't seen a light haired, blue-eyed teenager and then ultimately college student, and now grown up, and wondered what kind of life he might have had. Think about that while you're calling Mr. Patz a scumbag who should be sued.
Seriously?!?! Everyone defending Ramos...let me run you through some things you may not know before you defend him. That BABYSITER that was hired to walk Etan to school...Ramos molested her son before Etan was even murdered. Thats why she left him. No she didnt report to the police because she was scared that if she reported him that he would come back for her child. He also followed around a traveling community called the Rainbow Family where he would often be reported acting strange around the kid camp. The last time he was spotted at Rainbow the Shanti Sena caught him in his blue bus with a child...he claimed he didnt touch the child. Later it was concluded that he in fact did molest that little boy. When picked up by the police for the inccedent he ADMITTED that he raped that little boy but becuase the police failed toread him his miranda rights they had to drop the charges. Later...he had raped two other little boys that he babysat for a couple that he met floowing the Rainbow travelers. He is currently in jail for the little boy that he molested on the bus. Maybe before insulting a man that just wanted to know what happened to his son you should research the man who EVERYONE, including a very dedicated detective, thought had SOME connection in Etans case. Maybe he deserves to stay where he is for every little child that was hurt by him that didnt have the chance to bring him to justice. So what if he didnt murder Etan...he has raped more than 6 known little boys!!!!! And who knows how many others!
@DOT1722169 It's called karma. Ramos molested children and it seems to me that Mr. Patz has a darn good read on child molesters, he just happened to pick the wrong one in relation to his own son's case. I can't believe you are wasting energy defending a child molester. Maybe he wasn't even an innocent party, maybe he did have something to do with molesting Etan or something to do with his disappearance. If he didn't, oh well. He still deserves to be behind bars in the other cases. I hope he is raped every single day of his useless life while in prison.
Stan Patz who has spent 33 YEARS wondering what happened to his precious little boy should hang his head in shame today?
Why, because he hasn't endured ENOUGH already?
A parent's worst nightmare, to lose a little, innocent, SCARED child...how do you honestly blame his parents for their reactions?
Has anyone done the Math? This puts this man at 18 years old when he supposedly killed this little boy. No one has mentioned anything about motive, though I am sure more is to come... it's clear that there was some sort of motive, sexual or not, it doesn't matter. Mind you, if the body would have been thrown in the trash, dogs would have been able to pick up a scent somewhere (since many of them were looking). There are so many missing pieces to this story and what's worse is that if I were parents of this little boy, I think this latest development would probably make matters just worse. They will never know what happened to their little boy at this point.
I think they should drop the "allegedly" part since he admits to doing it.
Sensational crimes attract lots of false confessions. This might - or might not - be one of those.
My heart goes out to the Patz family they suffered the cruelest and most severe loss anyone can suffer, they lost a beautiful little child, no matter who killed him, they can't get him back. They live with a terrible loss everyday of their lives. I hope this conviction will bring them some solace and closure, they deserve it. For little Etan, I offer my prayers for a life taken too soon, and for the murderer, he should endure the rest of his miserable life behind bars.
He want the free medical help. The wife probably doesn't want to spend the money so now the State of New York can do it.
And once again THE NEGLECT of Mental Health issues in this country shows its ugly head. We must do better with those in need for these are the results of sweeping this major issue under the rug. And relatives of people with mental illnesses need to step up and see they get the help they need. Please do it for the innocent ones, all the innocent ones. Thank you.
omg yall get off the fathers case about Ramos...... He is extremely hurt and was just looking for answers. Ramos is innocent in this case but anyone that was in Stans position would have thought the same thing. Ramos is in jail for molesting little boys, when he was arrested he had little boys pictures in his backpack. At least this family knows a little more now. Sad and sick how people can be so f up in the head to hurt an innocent child. My heart goes out to the family. Rip Etan
because you are extremely hurt, looking for answers, and in the position that you think ramos did it is no reason to take a man to court without evidence ( which there was none). Hurt, looking and thinking is not evidence. The dad should be ashamed that he accused an innocent man because of his emotions.
They may have found the really killer many years sooner if he wasn't so hell bent on convicting the wrong person.
I cannot believe that you are so determined to defend a convicted pedophile and condemn the father of a boy who was kidnapped and murdered. Now I agree that it is a miscarriage of justice that Ramos was ordered to pay (financially) for a crime that was not tried for and was ultimately proven innocent of. However he did not serve any time for Etan’s murder; he is in prison for the rape of another child. While he may be innocent of the Patz murder, he is not an innocent man. I personally, do not care about any emotional trauma that may have been mistakenly inflicted on this pedophile. How dare you judge Stan Patz for believing what the police had indicated throughout the majority of this case? I have been following this case for years and it was universally believed by police that Ramos had committed the crime. He admitted to having sex with a boy that day that matched Etan’s description. Yes, it is a shame that police were so focused on Ramos that the real killer has gone unpunished for so long. But don’t presume to think that you would have acted differently in this situation, because unless your child was kidnapped and murdered you have no idea what the Patz family has been through.
Hey DOT - when are you going to see the error in your comments? It was a CIVIL case he was sued for ... and while he was already doing time for being convicted (which is a CRIMINAL matter) for molesting/sexually assaulting little boys. For the LOVE OF GOD - get your facts straight!!!! It is so annoying to see your little rants when you don't even know what you are talking about!!!
Oh - and do you have children? Because truly you sound like a heartless a-hole championing the rights of a CONVICTED PEDOPHILE because he received a poster from a grieving FATHER. Yes, I'm sure he is so distraught. Seriously - what is wrong with you?
On a sidenote - I hope the guards took the poster away ... I'd hate to think what that POS was doing with it. Shudder.
Dot...ramos was never convicted in criminal court. gosh get off of saying that hes innocent!!!! hes not. tons of other children were raped by him!!!!!!! ramos has not paid a dime to the patz so no harm done financially. hes already a convicted pedophile!!!!!!
Wow. That wasnt racist, at all.
The article reads that Hernandez is undergoing psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue. Well, it would just seem logical to me that carrying around a secret like that for 33 years would be enough to drive you a little bit crazy. What astounds me is that "a family member and others" have supposedly known about this for years and no one saw fit to mention it before now? If this is true, then in some way they should be held accountable for withholding evidence or aiding and abetting.
I am sick of taxpayer money paying for these psychos to have guards watch them because they may kill themselves. LET THEM!
Stan Patz is a warrior in the fight to protect children. He has spent the past three decades helping safeguard the children of the USA. Thank you Stan for your love, courage and fierce determination. Ramos is a convicted pedophile, admits he raped children and was with a child that looked like Etan the day he disappeared, plus he was a friend of Etan Patz's babysitter. You do the math. Stan and Julie Patz are American Heroes.
Suicide watch? Nah, let him keep his shoe strings and belt.
I see absolutely no reason to protect vile predators from themselves. Give him a rope.
I hope this brings some peace to the family. He needs to have his fair trial and he will have to deal with the rest. I hope he tells these poor parents where the body is and where he disposed of it so they can bury their son and get closure....it has been a long sad life for these two parents and we should say a prayer for them. The killer will probably plead insanity anyway but he should get life with no parole.
Give the guy some rope, close the door...save the taxpayers of NY a lot of money. Oh and give the guy a pen and paper to leave a last statement with the location of that sweet little boy.
Agree 150%! Let him kill himself!
Personally I wouldn't be watching him too much. Scum.
I really haven't heard any details,apparently this man is a serial killer and a pedaphile.He should be able to say what he was wearing underneath his clothes.Did he take the hat as a trophy?Serious interrogation is needed. J-MAL
Put Etan's parents in charge of overseeing "The Suicide Watch."
While I agree that Ramos is not the best person on earth, and doesn't deserve sympathy for the wrongs he has done, I wonder if it is proven that Pedro Hernandez did in fact kill Etan, then will the civil case against Ramos be overturned? And to Wow-3703095, I have mixed feelings about your comment on him suing the Patz's. They have suffered so terribly, but they apparently have targeted the wrong man. He isn't U.S citizen of the year, but he has apparently been harassed and persecuted wrongly.
I truly hope the Patz's can somehow find some peace and solace. Does anyone know if they ever had any other children?
I agree. This is not something I would wish on anyone, but to sue someone because the investigators have led the father to 'think' he did it is not right. I think the judge and investigators should be hanging their heads low if it comes out hernandez did it.