Grand Jury Indicts Man Accused Of Murder In 1991 'Baby Hope' Case
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A grand jury has indicted a man accused of killing a 4-year-old girl who was known only as "Baby Hope" for 22 years.
The Manhattan district attorney's office told a judge that Conrado Juarez -- who waived his appearance in court Tuesday -- has been indicted on an unspecified charge.
Juarez, 52, of the Bronx was arrested earlier this month and initially arraigned on a second-degree murder charge in the death of his cousin, 4-year-old Anjelica Castillo.
Grand Jury Indicts Man Accused Of Murder In 1991 'Baby Hope' Case
Police said he confessed to smothering the girl to silence her screams as he sexually attacked her.
Grand Jury Indicts Man Accused Of Murder In 1991 'Baby Hope' Case
The girl's body was found stuffed in a cooler along the Henry Hudson Parkway on July 23, 1991.
She became known as "Baby Hope" and was just recently identified thanks to a renewed effort by the NYPD over the summer to get new information.
Police handed out posters and flyers featuring a composite sketch of what the child might have looked like and offered a $12,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
A tip came in to the Crime Stoppers phone line and that bit of information led detectives to Castillo's mother, which led to a DNA match and ultimately to Juarez.
Juarez now claims his confession was coerced.
He is due in court on Nov. 21.
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