Baby Hope murder suspect due in court Friday

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The man accused of killing the little girl known as Baby Hope is due in court Friday.

A hearing is scheduled in Manhattan for Conrado Juarez, who is charged in the 1991 killing of 4-year-old Anjelica Castillo.

Juarez was arrested back in October and is charged with second-degree murder.

Police say he confessed to sexually abusing and suffocating his young cousin but he claims the confession was coerced.

Baby Hope's body was found dumped along a highway in upper Manhattan.

The name was officially changed on her headstone last November, more than 20 years after her death.

Juarez spoke in a jailhouse interview during which he admitted helping a relative dump the body, but he says he is not the killer.

He expressed resignation over spending the rest of his life behind bars. His attorney says cops forced him to confess by depriving him of sleep.