Attorney: New Informant In Etan Patz Case Is An Inmate
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - Prosecutors' recently revealed informant in the infamous missing-child case of Etan Patz is a Rikers Island inmate.
A defense lawyer mentioned that detail about the informant during a brief court discussion Friday. But it's still unclear what the person has offered to add to the evidence against Pedro Hernandez.
Prosecutors disclosed the informant's existence earlier this week. They wouldn't give details, including how the person knew Hernandez.
The informant's name hasn't been released, and neither prosecutors nor defense lawyers will disclose what the person is expected to say.
That doesn't sit well with Hernandez's attorney, Harvey Fishbein, who has complained that he still doesn't know what to expect from the testimony, WCBS 880's Irene Cornell reported.
Jury selection is underway for Hernandez's murder trial in 6-year-old Etan's 1979 disappearance, which helped change the nation's approach to missing-children cases.
As Cornell reported, 600 potential jurors have begun filling out questionnaires to participate in the trial, which could take 2-3 months.
Six-year-old Etan vanished en route to his Manhattan school bus stop in 1979. In 2012, Hernandez gave a confession his lawyers say was false.
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