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Levi Aron Insanity Defense: Blame It On Inbreeding
By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 21, 2011
Modified Dec 21, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 21, 2011
Modified Dec 21, 2011
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The man who confessed to killing and dismembering 8-year-old Hasidic boy Leiby Kletzky this past fall has already been found mentally competent to stand trial—but his lawyer is still arguing that he is insane. Lawyer Howard Greenberg laid out his case in defense of 35-year-old Levi Aron to reporters outside Brooklyn Supreme Court this morning: "He suffered a severe head injury as a young man. There's a history of schizophrenia," the lawyer said. "There's inbreeding in that community."
The inbreeding accusation brought the most attention: "Look, everybody knows when blood relations have offspring, there can be genetic defects," Greenberg said, according to the Post. "It's something that needs to be investigated down to the ground." The News says he noted, "That's an aspect of his familial history."
Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who represents Borough Park, was disturbed by Greenberg's accusations, and called him "a pathetic figure." "It's an insult to the community. It's degrading," he said of the inbreeding remark. "None of this is relevant. It has nothing to do with this situation and is only meant to distract us from the reality of the horrible act." Hikind was even harsher in his assessment to the Post: "This lawyer is simply out of his freaking mind. He's a sick, self-hating Jew who's making a mockery of this case."
Greenberg also claimed that Aron suffered head trauma when he fell off a bike about the age of 10, and claims he is a diagnosed schizophrenic—previously, Aron was found to have a personality disorder, but a judge ruled that he was nevertheless mentally fit to strand trial.
Tagged
borough park
brooklyn
inbreeding
insanity
leiby kletzky
levi aron
murder
orthodox jewish
plea
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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