Levi Aron's Lawyer In Leiby Kletzky Case Says Inbreeding Led Aron To Murder

The defense lawyer for Levi Aron in the tragic Leiby Kletzky murder is now blaming Aron's actions on the effects of inbreeding.

Lawyer Howard Greenberg said in court, "Look, everybody knows when blood relations have offspring, there can be genetic defects. It's something that needs to be investigated down to the ground."

Earlier this summer, a court-ordered, psychological evaluation found Aron to be "deeply troubled" and demonstrating various schizoid features. However, the evaluation still found Aron fit to stand trial.

Greenberg, who joined the team in October, rather flamboyantly announced his intention to enter a not guilty plea by reason of insanity, despite the evaluation's results. If the insanity defense was rejected, Greenberg said, "You can quote me on this. I will quit the practice of criminal law if Levi Aron is not found insane."

In July, Aron confessed to murdering and dismembering the 8-year old, Hasidic boy who disappeared while walking to meet his parents after school. The murder shocked the country, as gruesome details emerged of Aron's planned abduction. In Aron's confession, he admitted to feeding Kletzky prescription drugs, suffocating him, and then dismembering his body after he "panicked."

Defense lawyers challenged the confession and claimed Aron was coerced into admission. Greenberg said, "My opinion is this guy would admit he shot Kennedy if you spent enough time with him."

Prior to Greenberg joining the team, Aron's lawyers Pierre Bazile and Jennifer McCann were reprimanded by Justice Neil J. Firetog for their unusually unprofessional conduct regarding the trial and its details. Firetog criticized the two for discussing the case on their personal Facebook accounts and leaking information to the press.

Comments

[Roommate]

08:43 AM on 12/23/2011

His parents should not have married or should have used a condom

[Clarity22]

10:01 PM on 12/22/2011

That is a is disgusting excuse for a heinous crime. Poor child, I trust and hope his family is hanging in.

[emmeaki]

08:57 PM on 12/22/2011

Is that a new legal defense now? "Sorry, Judge, my client is a victim of inbreeding, so he can't be held accountable for his actions.'

[fredimessina]

02:27 PM on 12/22/2011

It was planned, he fed the child prescription drugs, suffocated him, and then dismembered him after panicking. That indicates to me that he knew right from wrong at the time of the crime. To say he's not guilty is laughable. At the very least he should be locked in an insane asylum for life.

[prfktstrngr527]

01:22 PM on 12/22/2011

So the suspect is an inbreed? Might work. Their depictions in movies are wildly successful.

[Merightyouwrong]

12:19 PM on 12/22/2011

If we are going to defend the indefensible with logic like this then we are in real trouble. Put him down like the animal he is.. Thank about it , every day women abort fetuses that are genetically defctive, the products of rape or incest, so why not make his abortion retroactive as he is obviously defective and by his lawyers assertion the product of inbreeding (read incest)!!!

[Ainsaade]

12:16 PM on 12/22/2011

Granted I'm not a lawyer, but last I checked "inbreeding" wasn't an affirmative defense for murder.

[jhNY]

12:12 PM on 12/22/2011

His client was able to do the terrible things he did because he operated within, and was trusted because he lived within, an insular community. Had he not appeared as an observant Orthodox man, his victim would never have trusted him enough to speak with him or go anywhere with him.

Now, that same insularity, which allowed Aron to conceal his true intentions from his victim and from his community, would become, as a defense strategy, the cause of his despicable behavior, adding insult to injury, or in this case, to child murder. The cynicism on display here is breathtaking.

[Tolms]

11:44 AM on 12/22/2011

It's news to me that he is a product of imbreeding....how imbred? Also, considering how rarely (about 1%) of insanity defenses actually are successful...it seems to me this is a very risky way to go for the defense. I also wonder about this guys IQ...did they test him?

[Merightyouwrong]

11:44 AM on 12/22/2011

SO by this looney tunes lawyers logic most rednecks and 75% of inner city kids can get away with murder. This whack job needs to be dibarred.

[alistairpolitic]

01:32 PM on 12/22/2011

Your logic is absolutely stellar...ought to be able challenge Plato to Eco using your prose!

[jadeaic]

11:30 AM on 12/22/2011

A personality order? That is the grossest understatement of the year.

[Merightyouwrong]

12:16 PM on 12/22/2011

They perform abortions every day in the case of incest and rape so just make this guys abortion retroactive.

[ycplum]

11:28 AM on 12/22/2011

Actually, the lawyers strategy may not be that bad (beyond the theatrics that is). There are two issues, innocence/guilty and punishment if found guilty. The court has rules that he is sane enough to stand trial. Sane enough to stand trial doesn't mean he is sane. It means he is able to understand right from wrong - that is it. You can be insane on a different level, but still be "sane" enough for trial. For example, you can have voice telling you to kill, but if you know it is wrong to kill, you are still "sane" enough to stand trial. I think he is going to be found guilty.

However, a diminished capacity may effect sentencing. I think this is what teh lawyer is shooting for.

[Christine Castro Polisi]

11:21 AM on 12/22/2011

think he should be let free then do what he did to the boy

[garylinn]

10:52 AM on 12/22/2011

He probably wants to stop with the trials of people who are guilty...he can always go to ambulance chasing.

[butlercaddie]

10:42 AM on 12/22/2011

Insert TeaP joke here.