Judge Scolds Levi Aron's Defense Lawyers, Questions Experience And Handling Of Case
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A judge has questioned the experience of two lawyers handling the case of Levi Aron, the man accused of killing and dismembering 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky.
Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog told the lawyers at a hearing Tuesday that his concern was to ensure Aron got a fair trial.
Aron, who is represented by Pierre Bazile and Jennifer McCann, is charged with first-degree murder in the July killing Leiby Kletzky.
Prosecutors said Aron kidnapped Kletzky from his neighborhood in Borough Park and gave him a toxic mix of prescription and over-the-counter drugs before smothering him. Aron then allegedly butchered the 8-year-old's body, hiding part of it in his freezer.
Since his arrest, Aron has undergone a psychiatric evaluation, which determined he does has a personality disorder but is fit to stand trial.
Earlier this month, what officials say is Aron's handwritten confession became part of the public record.
EXTRA: Levi Aron Disclosure (PDF)
He also gave his first and only jailhouse interview to the Daily News.
"I don't know what happened. I just panicked," Aron said in the interview.
The judge scolded the lawyers for their use of Facebook and for not providing correction officials an approved list of visitors for their client. He also suggested that they leaked portions of a court-ordered psychological exam to The Associated Press.
The lawyers vehemently denied it, but the judge called their argument "disingenuous.''
Aron is being held without bail and has pleaded not guilty.
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