In Patz Case, Manhattan Prosecutors Ask for Months to Decide on Retrial NYT | Top Stories By: Colin Moynihan 15 October 2025 at 06:59 The district attorney is searching for witnesses and plans to ask the Supreme Court to consider the Etan Patz case. A defense lawyer for the man accused in the killing says they’re dawdling. © Mark Lennihan/Associated PressThe Etan Patz case crystallized the dread that many parents felt in allowing children to navigate city streets alone.