The daughter of a man on trial for murder in the 1979 disappearance of six-year-old Etan Patz testified Monday about her father 's unusual behavior in an effort to show that he is mentally ill. Becky Hernandez , speaking publicly for the first time about the murder case against her father , Pedro Hernandez , said she was n't allowed out with friends as a youngster unless she had a written invitation and two weeks ' notice — and her father held her hand crossing the street until she was 14 . The 25-year-old described how he would clean their Maple Shade , New Jersey , home profusely , the court heard , and cook dinner starting at 2 a.m. — the same food every night : chicken , rice and beans . She said the case has caused a huge strain on her life - preventing her from getting a masters degree because the looming criminal proceedings meant 'she could n't concentrate ' . Harrowing testimony : Becky Hernandez ( pictured arriving in court today ) said her father Pedro ( right ) , who has been accused of killing six-year-old Etan Patz , said she was n't allowed to go out with friends unless she had a written invitation and he would hold her hand while crossing the street until she was 14 years old . The defense is trying to show Pedro Hernandez 's 2012 confession to choking the boy is a delusion . She told the court her father was hours early for everything and would not allow her to be home alone . He would sleep for hours during the day , rarely socialized and insisted on sitting in the same church pew every Sunday , she testified . She also said he saw shadowy figures , a lady in white , and one time said he awoke to find a bald man choking him who then disappeared . She 'd come home to find him talking to himself . But they did n't call the doctors . 'We knew he was n't well , and we did n't want to hurt his feelings , ' she said . 'You know how children sometimes believe in something ? That 's the type of response we had . My mom always taught me that what he sees and what he believes is not what we have to see . ' Hernandez said stress over her father 's case prevented her from getting a master 's degree . ' I was studying and every single time I had to take a test there was something related to my dad , ' she said , choking up . ' I could n't concentrate . ' She began crying when asked if she loved her father despite his behavior . Support : Pictured with her attorney Harvey Fishbein ( left ) and mother Rosemary ( right ) , she told the New York court how she could n't get a masters degree as a result of the case because she 'could n't concentrate ' 'He 's protective because he loves me , ' she said . ' ... It 's the little things that show that he cares . And that 's why I love him . ' The defendant had no visible reaction as his daughter testified , but he smiled as she walked by during a break . Earlier , he turned around to wave and smile at his wife , who was sitting in the benches . Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon on cross-examination sought to show Hernandez was strict and abusive and that he still tries to control her from prison . Pedro Hernandez made a stunning confession in 2012 to choking Etan in the basement of a convenience store where he worked , after police questioned him on a tip . Over the years , he told a prayer circle , a neighbor and his ex-wife that he had harmed a child in New York . At least five people testified about what he said during the trial . Family : Stanley Patz , father of Etan Patz , and his daughter Shira Patz , left , arrive at Manhattan Supreme Court for another day of testimony . Etan vanished on his way to school on May 25 , 1979 . His disappearance helped galvanize the modern-day missing children 's movement ; his picture was one of the first to appear on a milk carton . Over the years , the case bounced around between detectives and units and from local police to federal agents and back . There 's been no physical evidence . During his confession , Hernandez told detectives that he tossed the boy 's bag up onto a freezer in the basement of the convenience store . 'If the freezer is still there , the book bag should be there , ' Hernandez told detectives . But the shop was closed and cleared out in the early 1980s , its contents tossed , and it 's not clear whether police were present at the time . No body was ever found . Hernandez 's attorneys are trying to show that his 2012 confession ( left ) to choking Etan ( right ) following his disappearance in 1979 is a delusion .
Becky Hernandez , however , described how her father allegedly was murdered . Needed a written invitation to go out with him and waited for notice . Told court he held her hand while she crossed street until she was 14 . Defense is required to prove her father 's 2012 confession is a delusion .