Questioning of potential jurors began Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court for the upcoming retrial of Pedro Hernandez. Hernandez was charged with kidnapping and murder in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz.
The first trial of Hernandez, 53, ended in a deadlocked jury last year. He confessed to the unsolved crime, but his defense says it was a delusion caused by mental problems.
150 possible jurors have been screened by Justice Maxwell Wiley for a trial that could last months. A group of 16 will be questioned Thursday by lawyers.
The public history of the case was evident during questioning Wednesday. As one juror put it: “He confessed,” “Why not sentence him?” Justice Wiley said he expects the final selection of a jury to continue for another week.
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