Convicted killer of Leiby Kletzky dies in Prison

 The man convicted of kidnapping and brutally murdering 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky in Brooklyn more than a decade ago has died, New York’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision confirmed to PIX11 on Saturday.

Levi Aron, 49, was serving a sentence of 40 years to life at the Wende Correctional Facility for the 2011 killing that shocked the Jewish community in the United States and abroad. According to the Department of Corrections, Aron had been admitted to an outside hospital, and officials noted that his death was expected. The family therefore did not request an autopsy. He had previously been hospitalized in August due to an undisclosed medical condition.

Aron pleaded guilty to abducting Kletzky in July 2011 after the young boy became lost while walking home alone from summer camp for the first time. Aron, then working in a hardware store, drugged and murdered him, later dismembering his body. Most of Kletzky’s remains were found in a dumpster, while his feet were discovered inside Aron’s freezer.

The murder prompted an outpouring of grief across the Jewish community in Brooklyn and beyond, with thousands joining the search efforts during the hours Leiby was missing. His death led to an intense communal response, including calls for improved child safety measures and initiatives to assist families in crisis.

The exact cause of Aron’s death was not immediately released. In 2017, his 29-year-old brother was also found dead inside Aron’s home.