NEW YORK — A brother-in-law and former colleague of a deli worker charged with kidnapping and murdering a 6-year-old boy three decades ago testified on Thursday the accused man was a normal, quiet colleague who liked to talk about sports.
Pedro Hernandez, 54, confessed to the crimes, but his defense attorneys said the confession was coerced and he is mentally ill.
Hernandez is accused of kidnapping and murdering Etan Patz, who vanished on May 25, 1979, while walking alone to a school bus stop for the first time in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood. His body was never found, but in 2001 he was declared legally dead.
The case ignited a national movement to find missing children. President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Missing Children’s Assistance Act, and Patz was one of the first missing children whose picture appeared on a milk carton.
Hernandez was arrested in 2012 after police got a tip he had confessed at a church group.
He then confessed to police he lured Patz to the basement of a Soho deli where he worked, strangled him and dumped him in an alley. His defense attorneys said the confession was coerced and he is mentally ill and suffers hallucinations.
Testifying at Hernandez’ trial in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, Ramon Rodriguez, 75, said Hernandez admitted to the kidnapping and murder on a 1979 religious retreat in New Jersey.
Hernandez’ brother-in-law, Juan Santana, testified in state Supreme Court in Manhattan that he was quiet and enjoyed talking about sports.
Hernandez said he was working at a grocery store in New York City and told Rodriguez “I took him to the basement, and then I took a stick and I shove him a lot of times,” he testified.
He said Hernandez admitted sexually abusing the boy.
Hernandez’ defense disputed Rodriguez’ credibility, saying he had previously said he had heard no such confession and focusing on inconsistencies in his story.
Defense attorney Harvey Fishbein said Rodriguez earlier had made statements that Hernandez had not admitted to sexual abuse and that Rodriguez had changed his account more than once.
Rodriguez, a retiree who lives in Puerto Rico, said he belonged to a charismatic church group that was attended by Hernandez and his brother-in-law, Jose Lopez.
Lopez tipped off police in 2012, saying he had heard about an alleged confession, although he recalled it may have been in the 1980s.
Rodriguez said he never reported what he had heard to police.
Two other members of the church group were expected to testify when the trial resumes on Friday.