Four decades ago, Patz was one of the first missing children to appear on a milk carton seeking information of his whereabouts. He went missing after walking alone to a school bus stop in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City on May 25, 1979. In 2012, Hernandez confessed to strangling Patz in the basement of the deli he worked at, but after recanting, his lawyers claimed the confession was the result of mental illness “including hallucinations,” and police coercion.”
The boy’s body was never found and there was no physical evidence linking Hernandez to the murder. Hernandez’s attorney said he will appeal the verdict.