Levi Aron Sentenced to 40 Years to Life in Kidnapping and Murder of Leiby Kletzky

Leiby Kletzky missing poster by Andy Novick.

Levi Aron was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for the murder of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky on Wednesday by Brooklyn Supreme Court Jusice Neil Firetog. Aron pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping as part of a plea bargain. He will be eligible for parole in 2051.

The gruesome murder shocked the Borough Park Hasidic community and became a major story throughout the city. New York magazine’s Matthew Shaer chronicled the Jewish community’s reaction to the crime.

“Levi Aron, taking advantage of the trust of an 8-year-old child, chose not to make Leiby safe, not to return him to his family,” prosecutor Julie Rendelman told Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog Wednesday according to DNAinfo.com. “Mr. Aron should be well aware that four decades from now when he stands before a parole board seeking release, his crime will not have been forgotten.”

Local residents will recall much of the borough being covered with heartbreaking missing posters when Kletzky went missing. This fall, the Leiby Kletzky Security Initiative is bringing 150 security cameras to Borough Park, and parts of Ditmas Park, Kensington, and Midwood. Assemblyman Dov Hikind worked with Jewish community leaders to identify locations for the cameras, which will be funded by a $1 million state grant.