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New York

Mystery of Etan Patz's disappearance ends in conviction

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    Stan Patz, right, father of 6-year-old Etan Patz who disappeared on the way to the school bus stop 38 years ago, reacts after a news conference with Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann, following the second trial of Pedro Hernandez, whos convicted of killing the boy, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, in New York's Manhattan Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) (The Associated Press)

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    FILE- In this Nov. 15, 2012, file photo, Pedro Hernandez appears in Manhattan criminal court in New York. Hernandez, a former store clerk was convicted Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, in one of the nation's most haunting missing-child cases, nearly 38 years after Etan Patz disappeared while heading to his school bus stop. Another jury had deadlocked following 18 days of deliberation in 2015, leading to the retrial that spanned more than three months. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano, Pool, File) (The Associated Press)

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    FILE - In this May 28, 2012, file photo, a newspaper with a photograph of Etan Patz is part of a makeshift memorial in the SoHo neighborhood of New York. Pedro Hernandez was convicted Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, for the 1979 murder of Etan Patz. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) (The Associated Press)

NEW YORK – It was one of New York City's most enduring mysteries, but a jury may have written the final chapter in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz (AY'-tahn payts).

After a lengthy trial, jurors on Tuesday convicted 56-year-old Pedro Hernandez of luring the boy into a basement and killing him.

Hernandez was a stock boy at a convenience store along Etan's morning walk to the school bus.

Hernandez confessed years ago to choking the boy, but his lawyers say that admission was a figment of his imagination.

Jurors say they believe Hernandez has a mental illness, but is not delusional and can tell right from wrong.

Hernandez's lawyer says he will appeal the verdict.