Man Who Confessed to Etan Patz Murder Appears in Court

Does not enter plea

The man who confessed to the 1979 killing of 6-year-old Etan Patz made a brief courtroom appearance on Thursday, standing silently as a prosecutor told the judge that murder charges had been formally filed more than three decades after the child's disappearance.

Pedro Hernandez, 51, did not enter a plea during the hearing in Manhattan, which lasted just minutes. His lawyer later told reporters that Hernandez was innocent and would eventually plead not guilty, despite the previous confession.