Levi Aron, charged with first degree murder in the death of Leiby Kletzky, has pleaded not guilty.
Levi Aron Fit to Stand Trial; Pleads Not Guilty
Levi Aron, charged with first degree murder in the death of Leiby Kletzky, has pleaded not guilty.
Aron was led into the Brooklyn courtroom Thursday for his arraignment wearing handcuffs and leg irons. The not guilty plea was entered by his attorney.
Prosecutors said Aron kidnapped 8-year-old Kletzky from his neighborhood in Borough Park and gave him a toxic mix of prescription and over-the-counter drugs before smothering him. Aron then allegedly butchered Kletzky’s body, hiding part of it in his freezer.
Outside the courtroom Thursday, defense attorney Jennifer McCann said Aron has been found competent to stand trial. The finding was made after Aron was given a psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue Hospital.
His defense team seemed to have been laying the groundwork for an insanity defense weeks ago. They described Aron as “hearing voices” and needing to listen to music to drown them out.
Although he’s been found fit to stand trial, Aron’s lawyers say they can still pursue an insanity defense.
People who knew Leiby and his family were expected to pack the courtroom. What happened to Leiby was still very much on the mind of residents in the Orthodox community.
“I think about it, you know, when I walk the streets sometimes, I think about it,” one woman told CBS 2HD.
“The wife and the children, they’re nervous right away. If they don’t answer right away the telephone, they’re more nervous,” said Shlomo Landesman.
“My wife, when she puts the candles for Sabbath, she puts one candle more. I say ‘Why you put one candle more?’ She says ‘for Leiby Kletzy’,” Landesman added.
“Everybody says ‘we’re not going to talk about it’, but how can you not talk about it? How can you not talk about a tragedy that has affected every single family,” Assemblyman Dov Hikind said.
Investigators pulled dozens of bags of evidence out of Aron’s home in Kensington, Brooklyn. Some of the bags, CBS 2HD learned, contained children’s clothing, a child’s pillow, spoon and cup.
Prosecutors have so far refused to discuss the possibility that Aron may be involved in other cases involving children. Some answers may be forthcoming today, if prosecutors file more charges.
A mob taunted Aron weeks ago outside a police precinct with chants of “murderer.” Many hope he does not plead insanity.
Kletzky’s parents were not expected to attend the court proceeding today. His mother is still not aware of all the details of the crime, CBS 2HD’s Lou Young reported. Meanwhile, the Leiby Kletzky Memorial Fund, which the family created to raise money for other needy families, has collected more than $260,000 in donations, according to its website. It has a goal of raising $1 million.
Aron’s court case could take a year at least, his lawyers have said.
CH RESIDENT
ONLY DEATH PENALTY FOR THAT MONSTER, WE DO NOT NEED TO HEAR MORE EXCUSES HIS PSYCHATRIC EVALUATION!!!!!ONLY DEATH HE’S SATTAN LIKE ALL THE OTHERS RUNNING FREE ON OUR STREETS WITH THEIR HATS AND BEARDS!!!!!! PLEASE SEE AROUND YOU YR NEIGHBOORS AND TEACHERS.
mother CH
Some Nerve he has to plead not guilty after already confessing! what a monster & murder
Bored
Notice how they – the anchor and the newsreaders – are not saying that he butchered the child. Why is that?
thw whole next year
where will this monster be till he stands trial (if he lives that long)?
Rochel
I didn’t know that Chabad was so filled with hate and vengeance. Hashem made the mentally ill just as he made you. Chabad and Orthodoxy in particular attracts fractured people. The religious rituals and practices help mentally and emotionally compromised people keep themselves in check. I am ashamed of you.
Living in Chelm
Rochel, you live in cloud cuckoo land. Good luck to you, you’ll need it to survive.
PS…He’s not mentally ill. That has been determined by experts. Of course, you’re welcome to befriend him & take him into your home if you want.
to # 5
This monster was no “attracted” to “religious rituals and practices”. He was born into them.
This individual, BY HIS OWN CHOICE, has demonstrated that he is a soul-less person, a walking pseudo human, a disgrace to Hashem, the Jewish people and the entire humanity.
To number 5:
Chabad isn’t filled with hate and vengeance. We are just speaking out of pain and hurt from this whole story. Yes, Hashem made the mentally ill, and we have to accept them and love them for being the special Neshamos they are. However, the act that he did was terrible and we have to make sure to protect our children and community from further hurt, ch”v. If the only way to protect our families is by putting this person in jail for the rest of his life, this is what we have to do. We are not asking this out of spite, but rather out of a sense of resposiblity, to protect our children.
doing good
to hear a husband saying that his wife lights an extra shabbos candle for Leiby was extremely moving. In her zchus this was aired on a major news outlet and will surely impact many to either light or further their shabbos experience. A perfect example of one good deed brings another. Mi Keamcha Yisroel! Moshiach Now!
CHT
That man who speaks to reporter is a husband and step-father to such sweet, midosdike, mother and son. His step son study in ULYOP and is very good friend of my son – the best influence my son had. Here is the article about him being one of the winner of Tora Fair @ ULYOP, he is the boy who crafted keilim hamishkon and explained them very well.
To #5
My thoughts (almost) exactly! While I do not necessarily buy into the whole mentally ill claim in this case, I am shocked at the self righteous “frum” people that self appoint themselves as the ultimate judge and jury. People – let the Judge do his job. Let the Jury do their job. Let G-d do his thing. Your hatred is a reflection of the bitterness and mob mentality bottled up inside. If you had your way you would be standing over him with pitchforks and torches. What ever happened to due process? EVEN for the guilty? You do realize that in the times of the Sanhedrin, if you chose to lynch him, you would be found guilty? There are rules set forth by G-d and found in the Code of Jewish Law. Those laws dictate that you cannot pass Judgement until due process has been taken. I am no fan of this guy and my personal opinion is that he is guilty and should pay the price. I am far from a liberal and given the chance would vote for the maximum punishment. But I also realize that I am not the Judge. I am also not the Jury. So any hate being spewed is (believe it or not) sinas chinam – in the literal sense anyway. You stand nothing to gain from it. It will not bring Justice faster, and it will not get him into deeper trouble. All it will do is show the world around us that us “aidele” Yidden are not so “aidel” after all… Start screaming bloody murder if he walks. Till then, let our Justice system (which sucks) try to do its thing.
chayaf
number 5- I dont who you are, but you are a very sick person, to equate “fractured people” with a vicious and savage killer is beyond words. Religious rituals and practices are meant to refine the person, and make the world more G-dly, not to keep“people in check”. How dare you sanctimoniously declare “ I am ashamed of you”. Check yourself into a mental institution, maybe you will get lucky and share the same room with Levi Aron, another “fractured person”.
to #8
Why do you assume that the comments come from “frum” people? Do you know who they are????
to #10
Why do you capitalize every letter “J”? Perhaps,based on the content of your response, you have another agenda (JC maybe??)
# 14 is for # 11, NOT #10
Ups, I meant to #11, so i writing it again,:
Why do you capitalize every letter “J”? Perhaps,based on the content of your response, you have another agenda (JC maybe??)
to rochel
looks like you want to give him the insanity plea bargain
who gave you that right
ppl are angry
anger is an emotion
and it surfaces in times like these
anger is appropriate sometimes
to never be angry is to not be human
victim survivor
you should all realize from this that you need to stop covering up sexual abuse in crown heights for the sake of all our kids
to # 5
Its not that we hate its a shock to us that a person that we do not have to deal with b/c he is reilgious and ment to be normal did this now how are we ment to look at every one
nk
a murderer is chayav misah either way
CHT
Continuation of #10
I just realized I did not include the link about the boy, whose step-father speaks on video, where he was one of four winners of ULYOP Tora Fair:
http://www.crownheights.inf…
JESSICA M
HE SHOULD NOT GET THE DEATH PENELTY. HE SHOULD ROT IN JAIL AND SUFFER AND THINK ABOUT WHAT HE DID. IF HE GETS THE DEATH PENELTY THERE IS NO MORE SUFFERING FOR THIS MONSTER. AND HE NEEDS TO SUFFER. I HOPE HE ROTS IN JAIL FOR WHAT HE DID