'It's about time': Etan Patz's dad finds justice in verdict

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly four decades after 6-year-old Etan Patz vanished on the way to his school bus stop, a former convenience store clerk was convicted today of murder in a case that influenced American parenting and law enforcement.

The jury verdict against Pedro Hernandez gave Etan's relatives a resolution they had sought since May 1979 and gave prosecutors a conviction that eluded them when a 2015 jury deadlocked.

"The Patz family has waited a long time, but we've finally found some measure of justice for our wonderful little boy, Etan," said his father, Stanley Patz, choking up.

"I am truly relieved, and I'll tell you, it's about time. It's about time."

Hernandez, who once worked in a shop in Etan's neighborhood, had confessed, but his lawyers said his admissions were the false imaginings of a man whose mind blurred the boundary between reality and illusion.

On the earlier jury, the lone holdout against conviction cited the mental health issue as a major reason for his stance.

This time, the jury concluded Hernandez had a psychiatric disorder but hadn't imagined killing the boy, one member said.