Judge declares mistrial in Etan Patz murder case

The jury could not reach a verdict in the Etan Patz trial
(Image credit: Emmanuel Dunand/Getty Images)

One of New York City's biggest missing child cases has resulted in a mistrial.

A 12-person jury was deadlocked in their decision about whether to convict Pedro Hernandez, 54, after three weeks of deliberation. Hernandez confessed to kidnapping and murdering Patz, who was six years old, 33 years after the crime. Patz disappeared on his way to school on May 25, 1979. Police never recovered his body.

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.