convicted murderer Etan Patz

new york - After almost forty years there with the conviction of a former warehouse worker brought an end to a mysterious disappearance case that helped the United States for years in its grip. A jury ruled Tuesday that the 56-year-old Pedro Hernandez is guilty of the kidnapping and murder of 6-year-old boy Etan Patz.

The small Etan disappeared on May 25, 1979, the day he first was only allowed to walk to the stop of the school bus. The disappearance shocked New York and was widely reported in the press. Photos of Ethan were among others put on milk cartons in a desperate attempt to find a trace of the boy.

For years Etans parents Stanley and Julie Patz remained uncertain about the fate of their son. In 2012 Hernandez came into the picture to the police after his brother had tipped off the police because he suspected that Hernandez sometimes too might have something to do with the case. He confessed and a first trial ended in a failure because a jury did not convict him. With his conviction Tuesday Etans family can finally close the case.

Etan's body was never found. In his confessions, the video was shown several times on the jury, Hernandez said he had done the body in a plastic bag and had put in a box at the dirt. According to him, Ethan was alive then.\n  \n   \n    \n    \n   \n   \n   \n      \n   \n     Pedro Hernandez was found guilty by the jury.\n    \n   \n     Photo: AP

Hernandez hangs a life sentence over his head. That penalty shall be determined later. During the jury verdict schijbaar watched impassively.