(Image Source: New York Daily News)
BY JIM FLINK
He won’t say he’s sorry.
He won’t call it murder.
The so-called Butcher of Borough Park is talking about the killing of a young boy -- for which he’s accused.
35-year-old Levi Aron allegedly lured 8-year-old Leiby (Lie-bee) Kletzky off the streets -- then reportedly panicked.
The New York Daily News visited Aron in his cell on Rikers Island -- and has the exclusive.
“Asked repeatedly if he wanted to apologize, the confessed child killer kept looking away and remained silent. At one point, he nodded his head, but would not say he was sorry. Aron … never once spoke the name of Leiby Kletzky ... He referred to the moment when he smothered the boy and carved him up as ‘the incident.’”
New York’s WNYW reports Aron is on suicide watch inside his jail cell -- and has more insight on his interview with the Daily News.
“Aron has pleaded not guilty and has been declared competent to stand trial. But he did tell the News he hears voices, that he mostly stays in bed here at Rikers Island. And the paper also asked him if he ever wished he had not met 8-year-old Leiby, and he said, ‘sometimes.’”
The blog WNYC notes, psychiatrists say Aron has a personality disorder -- described as being -- blank.
“The evaluation, which depicted the accused murderer as being ‘flat’ and ‘apathetic,’ was first obtained by the Associated Press and later confirmed to WNYC by Aron’s attorney. The court-ordered psychiatric evaluation also revealed that Aron had a sister who was institutionalized for schizophrenia.”
But Aron is apparently self-aware enough -- to be despondent. WNBC has his defense attorney’s appeal to the judge.
“At this time we’re going to move that the defendant be put on suicide watch and be kept in protective custody for his own safety while he’s in the system.
(Flash)
“If I may add your honor, the defendant has also indicated to me some despondency I’m very concerned for his well-being.”
Should an insanity defense even be allowed? In an editorial, New York Daily News says -- insane or not -- Aron should not go free if found guilty.
“... the insanity defense ... has become less about compassion for the mentally ill than a loophole for criminals to escape through. ... Insanity in a courtroom is not the same as the colloquial expression ... it is equally distinct from the way psychiatrists use the term - which, in fact, they rarely do.”
A pretrial hearing is set for Oct. 14.
