Confession by accused Etan Patz killer admissible at trial

A judge ruled on Monday that a confession by a man accused of killing a 6-year-old boy decades ago in New York City can be submitted as evidence in the trial.

The New York Times reported that Judge Maxwell Wiley ruled that a confession given to police by Pedro Hernandez, where he admitted to killing Etan Patz, can be used at trial.

Patz vanished back in 1979 as he was walking to his school bus stop just a few blocks from his home. His disappearance garnered national attention and he was the first missing child to appear on the side of a milk carton.

The Associated Press noted in 2012, the 53-year-old Hernnadez became a suspect and confessed that he choked Patz and stuffed him into a garbage bag alive.

"I was nervous; my legs were jumping," Hernandez said in the videotaped confession. "I wanted to let go, but I just couldn't let go. I felt like something just took over me. I don't know what to say. Something just took over me and I was just choking him."

He was charged with murder, but no longer admits that he committed the crime. His attorneys said that he has an IQ of 70 and has a history of mental illnesses.

Patz’s body has never been found and he was declared legally dead in 2001.

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