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In The News

At Gotham Government Relations, we take pride in staying ahead of the curve when it comes to policy developments and current events that impact our esteemed clientele and team members. "Gotham In The News" is your go-to page for comprehensive coverage of news articles and videos that directly pertain to our areas of expertise.

Youtube transcript 0:00 It was one of the most haunting missing 0:02 child cases in New York City history. 0:04 In 1979, six-year-old Eton Pates 0:07 vanished on his way to the school bus 0:09 The first time he was ever allowed to 0:11 walk there alone. Decades later, police 0:14 arrested Pedro Hernandez, a former 0:16 bodega worker who confessed to killing 0:19 the child. In 2017, after a mistrial, 0:22 Hernandez was convicted of murder. But 0:24 today, that conviction was overturned. 0:27 Dick Brennan is here now to break down 0:29 what that ruling means and also what 0:31 many of us are asking today. What could 0:33 happen next. Dick. 0:35 Well, Jessica and Christine, the federal 0:36 appeals court ruled the convicted 0:38 killer, Pedro Hernandez, must be given a 0:40 new trial or be released. It said a 0:43 judge in the original trial gave 0:44 improper instructions to the jury. This 0:47 was a case of a little boy who never 0:49 came home and that affected just about 0:51 any parent who followed it. 0:53 It was a case that captivated the nation 0:56 and terrified parents everywhere. In 0:58 1979, six-year-old Eton Pates 1:01 disappeared on the first day he was 1:04 allowed to walk alone to a school bus 1:06 stop in Soho. The search for answers 1:08 took decades. And in 2017, a Manhattan 1:12 jury convicted Pedro Hernandez, who 1:14 confessed to luring Eton to a basement 1:17 and choking him to death. But 1:18 Hernandez's lawyer said his confession 1:20 was false, spurred by a mental illness 1:22 that made him confuse reality with 1:24 imagination. And the confession was at 1:27 the heart of the federal court ruling 1:28 overturning the conviction. The appeals 1:31 court said the trial judge gave clearly 1:33 wrong and manifestly prejuditial 1:36 instructions to the jury in response to 1:38 a question about Hernandez's 1:40 confessions. 1:41 The jury in the case considered 1:42 confessions when they shouldn't have 1:45 been able to consider the confessions. 1:47 Legal expert David Schwarz says the 1:49 court made the correct decision to 1:51 overturn the conviction. 1:53 If the jury determines that it's an 1:55 involuntary confession, then they can't 1:57 consider it. The law has to be equal for 2:00 everyone. Eton was among the first 2:02 missing children pictured on milk 2:03 cartons. His case contributed to an era 2:06 of fear, making anxious parents more 2:08 protective of children who many once 2:10 allowed to roam and play unsupervised in 2:13 their neighborhoods. Now the case takes 2:15 another legal turn. something Pedro 2:17 Hernandez's attorney predicted on the 2:20 day his client was convicted. 2:22 I hate to say it, but we're confident 2:24 we'll be back here someday. 2:27 Back here in court, legal experts say it 2:29 might be tough to retry the case without 2:31 the confession because there was no 2:32 physical evidence and Eton's body was 2:34 never found. Hernandez's attorney said 2:36 the charges against him should be 2:38 dropped. In a statement, the Manhattan 2:40 DA says it's reviewing the decision and 2:42 will have Christina and Jessica what 2:44 they call a reasonable time to determine 2:46 whether to bring charges again. 2:47 All right, Dick. Thank you. 2:49 And do stay with us for continuing 2:51 coverage on the latest on the case of 2:53 Eton Pates. You can look back at our 2:54 past reporting on the case on our 2:56 website, cbsnew york.com.

NY Trial Attorney David Schwartz Talking About Etan Patz Case Reopened After Conviction Overturned ‪@CBSNewYork‬

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