Levi Aron Admits Killing 8-Year-Old in 'Panic'

Made grisly admissions before pleading guilty to murder of Leiby Kletzky
By Mark Russell,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 10, 2012 6:41 AM CDT
Levi Aron Admits Killing 8-Year-Old in 'Panic'
Levi Aron appears in New York state Supreme Court yesterday. Aron pleaded guilty to charges he abducted and dismembered Leiby Kletzky, an 8-year-old boy who became lost in Brooklyn after leaving a day camp.   (AP Photo/Richard Drew, Pool)

In a quiet, emotionless voice, Levi Aron yesterday pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and second-degree murder of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky last summer, as part of the deal that will likely put him in jail for the rest of his life (he won't be eligible for parole for at least 40 years). Aron gave no explanation for his crimes, saying only that he "panicked" when he realized people were searching for Leiby, so he killed and dismembered the boy and disposed of the body parts in a suitcase, reports the AP.

While the attorney general had previously said there were "absolutely no circumstances" that would allow him to accept a plea bargain, he yesterday agreed to accept a guilty plea to spare Leiby's family the burdens of a trial. "There is no way one can comprehend or understand the pain of losing a child," said Leiby's father, Nachman Kletzky, in a statement, adding that the plea presented "some partial closure on one aspect of this nightmare." (More Levi Aron stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X