MANHATTAN—The alleged killer of 6-year-old Etan Patz more than three decades ago in SoHo has been moved to a Manhattan jail after spending weeks in the psychiatric ward at Bellevue Hospital, according to city records.
Pedro Hernandez, 51, had been held at hospital following his arrest two months ago for the 1979 murder in order to undergo a court-ordered mental health evaluation.
It's not clear why he was moved to the Manhattan House of Detention. Hernandez's lawyer and wife claim he's suffered from delusions and mental illness for years.
In May, Hernandez, who worked in a bodega nearby the boy's home, confessed to police that he lured the little boy into the basement of the familiar neighborhood shop with a soda, choking him to death and then dumping his body in the garbage.
Hernandez's confession and subsequent arrest have been met with skepticism by some, including the boy's parents.
Police have reportedly found little to no physical evidence to corroborate Hernandez's story, and investigators have been dogged by questions regarding Hernandez's mental state.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has not yet brought the case to a grand jury, according to published reports.
Hernandez is due back in court in the fall.
