Levi Aron, 35, the man who kidnapped and killed Leiby Kletzky, the 8-year-old Jewish boy from Brooklyn, New York, has been going through psychological evaluations after his lawyer told a judge his client might be mentally ill.
STORY: Leiby Kletzky Fought Off Levi Aron Before He Was Killed (PHOTO)
Aron pleaded not guilty this afternoon during his arraignment at a Brooklyn courthouse.
STORY: Levi Aron, The Murderer Of Leibby Kletzky, Is The Face Of Evil (PHOTOS)
As Reported By The Associated Press:
A man accused of kidnapping and killing an 8-year-old boy who asked him for directions was ordered Thursday to undergo a psychological evaluation after his lawyer told a judge that his client might be mentally ill.
“He has indicated to me that he hears voices and has had some hallucinations,” attorney Pierre Bazile said.
Levi Aron is charged with luring Leiby Kletzky to his home on Monday, and then smothering him and chopping him up when he learned that a search was under way for the missing Brooklyn boy. Detectives found the child’s feet in Aron’s freezer.
The 35-year-old Aron pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon at his arraignment at a Brooklyn courthouse. He entered the courtroom looking disheveled and pale.
As he was led out from the courthouse holding pens, other inmates screamed obscenities at him.
Police and prosecutors have said he has confessed to the crime.
Investigators have said that Leiby may have been tied up and tried to fight off his captor before he was killed.
At a news conference, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Aron had scratches on his arms, wrists and elsewhere – a sign “there was some kind of struggle.” There also were marks on the boy’s remains that could have been caused by restraints, the commissioner added.
A preliminary medical examination indicates Leiby was “smothered or suffocated,” but it remained unclear when that happened, Kelly said.
Kelly also confirmed reports that Aron had given a written confession in Leiby’s gruesome slaying that ended with, “I’m sorry for the hurt that I caused.”
Beyond that, “he hasn’t expressed any remorse,” Kelly said.
SOURCE: AP
Click the next page for photos.
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Detectives walk Levi Aron, right, to a police car at the Brooklyn borough of New York’s 67th precinct today.
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Detectives walk Levi Aron, right, to a police car at the Brooklyn borough of New York’s 67th precinct today.
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Levi Aron is photographed by a court officer before his arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal court.
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Judge William Miller speaks during the arraignment of Levi Aron, standing with his attorneys in the Brooklyn criminal court.
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Defense attorney Pierre Bazile speaks on behalf of Levi Aron, at his arraignment before Judge William Miller in Brooklyn criminal court, Friday, July 15, 2011.
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Levi Aron’s attorneys Pierre Bazile, left, and Gerard Marrone, speak to reporters outside Brooklyn Criminal court today.
