NBC 4 New York has obtained the mugshot of the suspect arrested for allegedly luring 6-year-old Etan Patz off a SoHo street and strangling him in a basement.
Pedro Hernandez, 51, was arraigned last week on a charge of second-degree murder. The charge came 33 years to the day that Patz disappeared off a SoHo street.
According to the criminal complaint, Hernandez told police he strangled Patz and placed him inside a plastic bag, causing his death.
His court-appointed lawyer, Harvey Fishbein, told the court that Hernandez is a schizophrenic and had both auditory and visual hallucinations.
He remains at Bellevue Hospital as police continue their investigation for physical evidence linking him to the boy's disappearance. Police are also trying to see if there are any witnesses who can link him to Patz.
And investigators are looking to see if Hernandez came into contact with any other children over the years.
His lawyer declined comment Wednesday.
Local
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said police focused on Hernandez, who now lives in Maple Shade, N.J., after the Missing Persons Squad received a tip from someone who remembered Hernandez speaking of having killed a child.
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