He’s still the odd man out. The lone holdout juror who prevented a conviction of Pedro Hernandez for the 1979 murder of 6-year-old Etan Patz got a chilly reception from many of his fellow jurors who showed up in court Wednesday to support the Manhattan district attorney’s retrial of the case.
Seven jurors and two alternates, many teary eyed, shared hugs and handshakes with Etan’s father, Stan Patz, and his family after the brief hearing.
“There is going to be a retrial because of one individual with a huge ego and a small heart,” Alia Dahhan, flanked by the other jurors, ripped into holdout Adam Sirois as he stood fewer than five feet away.
“Pedro Hernandez needs to pay for what he did to Etan,” she emphasized.
Jennifer O’Connor said she and the other jurors were all business during deliberations but now was the time to unleash their true feelings.
“We are very frustrated and disheartened still — it still resonates with us to this day — which is why we’re here supporting the new [prosecutor] and his team,” she said.
“We really wanted to refocus our energies into something positive, turn it back to Etan, back to the Patz family.”
Sirois, 42, maintained his composure as several of his fellow jurors, with whom he deliberated for 18 days, shot him dirty looks.
“I made my decision based on the evidence. I feel very comfortable with how I voted,” he said.
Read more at the NY Post.
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
The holdout is a hero. Regardless of my personal opinion of Pedro’s guilt, the lone juror bravely resisted the bullying from the judge and the fellow jurors. If all jurors in this country were this tough, there would not be rubberstamping of whatever crooked prosecutors and judges throw our way.