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Attorneys For Child Murder Suspect Defend Themselves
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jul 31, 2011
Modified Jul 31, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jul 31, 2011
Modified Jul 31, 2011
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Levi Aron, the man who confessed to killing and dismembering 8-year-old Hasidic boy Leiby Kletzky earlier this month, is due to appear in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Thursday to face murder charges. His two attorneys felt compelled to come forward and defend themselves before the start of the trial: "It's not about defending his actions. It's about defending his rights," lawyer Jennifer McCann told the News.
Aron's other attorney, Pierre Bazile, said he came aboard the case because Aron's family reached out to him: "I'm taking this case because a family asked me for help. If you want to be an attorney, you treat the client that's in front of you." Bazile brought the 30-year-old McCann aboard after attorney Gerard Marrone abruptly resigned because of his conscience.
During the interview, the lawyers did not directly discuss Aron or divulge how much they're getting paid, but they both vowed to stay on the case till the end—though McCann told WPIX that Aron probably couldn't pay his legal fees, so she'd likely be doing the case pro bono. The Long Island-based lawyers, both of whom were admitted to the bar in 2007, also said they've received death threats for defending Aron: "It's completely foreign. It's distracting. It's been a little overwhelming," " Bazile said of the media glare.
The two did let some details slip about their plans for the trial: Aron's psychiatric exams are expected to be revealed this week, and they intend to have their experts determine if an insanity defense is viable. They also said they are planning to ask the judge for a change of venue, arguing that the jury pool has been tainted by the media scrutiny.
Tagged
dismemberment
leiby kletzky
levi aron
murder
orthodox jew
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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