WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday reinstated a murder conviction in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz.
The justices, by a 6-3 vote, granted an appeal from New York prosecutors who had urged them to undo a federal appeals court decision that overturned the verdict. The three liberal justices dissented.
Prosecutors had been preparing to try the man, Pedro Hernandez, for a third time. His first trial ended in a mistrial.
The unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed Hernandez’ murder and kidnapping conviction in the second trial because of how the judge had answered a question from jurors.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had called the basis for overturning the conviction “a slender reed” that essentially ignored a five-month-long trial with 66 witnesses.
The justices agreed, in an unsigned opinion, that federal courts should not second-guess state courts under a 1996 federal law that was intended to reduce federal court oversight of state criminal trials.
“The Second Circuit exceeded its authority in holding that Hernandez is entitled to relief,” the justices wrote.
Hernandez, 64, has been serving a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Bragg hailed the high court's decision. “It’s impossible to imagine the pain of losing a child, waiting so long for justice and having to brace for more proceedings,” Bragg, a Democrat, said at a news conference on an unrelated issue, adding that he hoped the Patz family gained some peace of mind from the high court’s ruling.
A message seeking comment was sent to Etan’s father.
Hernandez’ lawyers said they were “terribly disappointed” by the ruling. “We firmly believe that an innocent man is in jail for a crime that he did not commit,” attorneys Harvey Fishbein and Alice Fontier said.
Hernandez made statements to confidants years ago about having killed a child or young man in New York, and he later told police he’d killed Etan. His lawyers say he confessed falsely because of a mental illness that sometimes made him hallucinate. They emphasized that his admission to police came after detectives queried him for about seven hours before reading him his rights and recording the interview. Hernandez then repeated his confession on tape, at least twice.
Etan vanished while walking to his downtown Manhattan school bus stop on May 25, 1979. Hernandez worked at a nearby convenience shop at the time, but the Maple Shade, New Jersey, resident didn’t become a suspect until 2012.
Etan was among the first missing children ever to appear on milk cartons, and the anniversary of his disappearance became National Missing Children’s Day.
Hernandez already has been tried twice. A jury deadlocked in 2015, and then a different panel of jurors convicted him at a 2017 retrial.
During deliberations, the 2017 jurors asked a complicated question: If they decided Hernandez didn’t confess voluntarily when he hadn’t been read his rights yet, must they disregard his other confessions? The then-judge responded simply, “the answer is no.” The jury went on to convict.
In overturning that verdict, the appeals court said the jury’s question should have gotten a more fulsome answer, including the possibility of discounting all the confessions.
Hernandez’ retrial had been expected to start in September, and his lawyers and prosecutors were due to give the trial judge a status update next week.
Asked about next steps, Bragg said prosecutors would await guidance from appellate judges and the state trial court that has handled the case.
Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report from New York.
FILE- In this Nov. 15, 2012, file photo, Pedro Hernandez appears in Manhattan criminal court in New York. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano, Pool, File)
FILE - A photograph of Etan Patz hangs on an angel figurine, as part of a makeshift memorial in New York, May 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
FILE - The U.S. Supreme Court is seen, June 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts can count on a few guarantees in each season opener.
For sure, a new offensive coordinator. Though as long as Hurts is connecting on passes and extending drives with game-saving scrambles, the play-caller in his ear rarely seems to matter.
Hurts threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns, and the Eagles' Moro Ojomo stuffed the Commanders' attempt at a tying 2-point conversion with 1:01 remaining as Philadelphia squeaked past Washington 24-22 on Sunday.
“It’s just about meeting the moment when your opportunity comes,” Hurts said.
Plenty of his teammates met the moment when it was their time to deliver.
Jayden Daniels threw a 1-yard TD pass to on third-and-goal to Antonio Williams with 1:01 left for the Commanders' second touchdown of the fourth quarter. On the 2-point try, Washington called a shovel pass to tight end John Bates, who was wrapped up instantly by Ojomo.
“I got off on the ball,” Ojomo said. “Took a shot. You kind of got to play it free.”
Here's another guarantee: The Eagles improved to 6-0 in season openers under coach Nick Sirianni and Hurts since 2021.
Hurts had his moments for the two-time reigning NFC East champions in Sean Mannion's debut as offensive coordinator. Mannion is Hurts’ fifth coordinator in the last five seasons and their partnership showed early promise for the former Super Bowl MVP.
Mannion's system also worked out well for tight end Dallas Goedert, who had four catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns.
The early big play came late in the first quarter when Hurts had multiple targets open on a play-action and connected with Dontayvion Wicks for a 64-yard reception. Wicks, acquired in an April trade from Green Bay, had the longest reception of his career and gave the first signal that perhaps the Eagles will be just fine at wideout after trading disgruntled star A.J. Brown to New England.
Hurts finished the drive with a dart down the middle to Goedert for a 17-yard score and a 7-3 lead. If the Eagles had questions at wide receiver — and new No. 1 receiver DeVonta Smith had only two targets in the first half, and just three catches overall — they are fine at tight end. Goedert, who had a career-high 11 TD catches last season, again proved himself a trusted target.
Hurts added a 9-yard TD pass to Wicks in the second quarter for a 14-3 lead as the Eagles ran a clean, crisp offense under Mannion. Saquon Barkley, who tailed off last season after rushing for more than 2,000 yards in 2024 when the Eagles won the Super Bowl, ripped off a 42-yard run to set up Wicks' TD.
Yet the offense largely cooled off behind a shaky line that gave Hurts little time to throw. Meanwhile, the defense — anchored by all-everywhere linebacker Zack Baun and his 12 tackles — rarely let Daniels break free long enough to sting the Eagles until the fourth.
Daniels — who went 18 of 34 for 164 yards — avoided a sack, spun and scrambled for a 13-yard gain on the final play of the third quarter. He had time in the pocket to hit a wide-open Williams for a 33-yard gain and then hit Stefon Diggs after the veteran receiver beat Cooper DeJean in the slot for a 10-yard touchdown.
Diggs, whose string of personal issues made him available even after he had 99 catches for 1,123 yards for the AFC champion New England Patriots, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when he jumped and bear-hugged the goalpost before he landed on his back.
Coach Dan Quinn said the Commanders would have gone for 2, but the 15-yard penalty forced them to settle for the extra point that made it 17-16.
Hurts extended the next drive with a 22-yard scramble on third-and-18 and hit Goedert on the next drive for a 43-yard score and a 24-16 lead.
“I think one of the things that makes Jalen such a special quarterback is that he can do it through the air. He can do it running the show,” Sirianni said. “He can do it with his legs when he needs to make plays, and obviously, that was a big play, and you need those.”
Drew Stevens kicked a 55-yard field goal for the Commanders and Jacory Croskey-Merritt added a 1-yard run that cut the Eagles' lead to 14-9 at halftime. Jalen Carter blocked the extra point.
“The miscues I thought hurt us in this game and those were the margins right there, division games or otherwise,” Quinn said.
Jake Elliott’s 35-yard field with 44 seconds left in the third quarter stretched the lead to 17-9.
Commanders: LB Frankie Luvu suffered a groin injury. TE Chip Okonkow had a hamstring injury. S Tyler Owens injured an ankle.
Commanders: Keep it in the NFC East with a game next Sunday at Dallas.
Eagles: At Tennessee next Sunday.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) takes the field for an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo (97) celebrates with teammates after stopping the Washington Commanders on a two-pint conversion attempt during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) fails to catch a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) celebrates his touchdown catch against the Washington Commanders during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) throws against the Washington Commanders during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) looks to pass against the Washington Commanders during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
