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Family Of Slain Leiby Kletzky Continues To Mourn; Accused Killer Pleads Not Guilty

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There were shouts of "murderer" as accused killer Levi Aron was put in a police car and taken to court in Brooklyn Thursday.

Aron, 35, pleaded not guilty to murder and kidnapping charges in connection with Leiby Kletzky's death.  The boy's mourning family continued to see an outpouring of emotional support from the area.

PHOTOS: Death Of 8-Year-Old Leiby Kletzky

Eve Emanual came from Flatbush as a stranger, just to be near the boy's grieving family.

"I felt very, very strongly for the mother and what she's going through," she told CBS 2's Derricke Dennis.

When leaving for his arraignment Thursday, a crowd outside the 67th Precinct in East Flatbush, where Aron has been held since his arrest, screamed "kill the murderer" as he was placed into a police car.

Other inmates reportedly screamed obscenities at Aron as he was taken out from the Brooklyn courthouse holding pens.

At his arraignment hearing, Aron's lawyer, Pierre Bazile, asked that his client be put into protective custody and placed under a suicide watch. Aron said he hears voices and has hallucinations, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported.  A judge ordered a psychological evaluation.

1010 WINS' Juliet Papa Reports That Aron Showed No Emotion In Court Thursday

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POLICE: KLETZKY MAY HAVE FOUGHT BACK

Police released new details Thursday about the moments leading up to Kletzky's death, saying the 8-year-old may have fought his alleged attacker.

Police have no evidence at the moment that Kletzky was molested before he was killed, but said there were scratches on Aron's arms and wrists, leading investigators to believe that the boy fought back.

WCBS 880's Paul Murnane In Kensington, Brooklyn: Aron Says Kletzky Fought Back

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Police said they also think Kletzky may have been restrained in Aron's home.

Police said part of the boy's dismembered body was found in a freezer in Aron's apartment. Other remains were found in a suitcase tossed in a Dumpster a few miles away.

Defense lawyers Pierre Bazile (L) and Gerald Marrone
Levi Aron's defense lawyers Pierre Bazile (L) and Gerald Marrone. (credit: Juliet Papa, 1010 WINS)

INVESTIGATORS PROBE ARON'S HISTORY

Aron had been taken earlier to an area hospital for DNA testing. Police are trying to find out if he is linked to other crimes. They are reportedly looking into a report that Aron may have tried to lure a boy into his car last year.

WCBS 880's Marla Diamond: Levi Aron Looked Disheveled And Kept His Head Down

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Aron told police he took Kletzky to a wedding upstate in Monsey. Aron told police that the wedding ran late and he brought the 8-year-old back to his Borough Park apartment Monday night with intentions of returning him to his distraught parents the next day.

Officials said detectives are reviewing video from a wedding reception and are interviewing guests. Some have confirmed that Aron was there, but didn't see the boy, according to officials.

The manager of the Ateres Charna catering hall, Izzy Goldstein, confirmed police did come to his business, where that wedding was held.

"I don't have anything to say about the police, but they were here and they took whatever they had to take," Goldstein said.

Police said Aron told investigators he killed Kletzky on Tuesday, but WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reported police think Kletzky was killed on Monday.

Even investigators, who thought they had seen everything, were baffled by the suspect and the crime.

"I've been around this business for 40 years...and I think the level of violence is not something I can compare with," Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said.

WCBS 880's Marla Diamond With Comment From Brooklyn D.A. Charles Hynes

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KLETZKY'S FAMILY MOURNS LOSS

There was also an outpouring of sorrow and support for Kletzky's family Thursday night as they began a week-long mourning period, known as Shiva.

A family friend said the dead boy's father, Nachman, and his wife, Esther, will likely not leave the apartment until the Shiva period ends next week.

WCBS 880's Peter Haskell At The Boy's Funeral And On The Faith Of The Borough Park Jewish Community

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There is also word that the family has been spared some of the more gruesome details of what happened to their son. There now is a sign on the front door of the apartment building asking Shiva visitors to be mindful of that.

The sign reads "please be sensitive to the family.  Do not share rumors, stories and information you have heard at all."

Mourners said that Kletzky's mother has not been told how her son was killed -- the gruesome details would be too much.

Rabbi Steve Ziskind is planning to sit Shiva with boy's parents in their 6th floor Borough Park apartment.  He said the mother is being kept from television and newspaper reports, but will eventually know how her son was murdered.

"I think the one that should tell her should be professional help," Ziskind said.

RAY KELLY ADDRESSES REPORTERS

In a news conference Thursday, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said Aron told police he went to work on Tuesday as usual, leaving the boy in his apartment.

"He panicked when he saw the fliers and he saw the amount of activity that was being conducted by the community and by the police looking for the boy," said Kelly.

Police said Aron told them when he came home from work, he killed Kletzky and dismembered him, placing the remains in his refrigerator and in a suitcase, which he then put in a dumpster a few miles away.

Kelly said Thursday a preliminary medical examination showed Kletzky was "smothered or suffocated,'' but investigators haven't yet determined exactly when the boy was killed.

Kelly also said Aron had given a written confession in the gruesome slaying, which ended with, "I'm sorry for the hurt that I caused.'' Other than that, Kelly said Aron hasn't expressed any remorse.

1010 WINS' Terry Sheridan reports: Kelly Tries To Make Sense Of Kletzky's Murder

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Police said various surveillance videos offer a crystal clear timeline of the tragedy. One of them shows Aron luring the lost little boy off the street and into his car Monday evening, police said.

What are your thoughts on this horrific tragedy? Sound off in our comments section below…

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