Levi Aron Charged in Kletzky Murder Case

At Wall Street Journal, "Missing Brooklyn Boy Found Dead: 8-Year-Old Was Victim of 'Totally Random' Abduction":

A frantic two-day search for a missing 8-year-old Brooklyn boy ended Wednesday with the grim discovery of his dismembered body, the victim of what authorities called a "totally random" abduction by a stranger.

The hunt for Leiby Kletzky, who disappeared Monday after he left his day camp in Borough Park to meet his family, led detectives to the cluttered attic apartment of Levi Aron just after 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Asked where the boy was, Mr. Aron nodded in the direction of the kitchen, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.

They encountered a macabre scene: stained towels stuffed in a black garbage bag, blood smears on the refrigerator handle and three large carving knives and a cutting board inside. Inside the freezer, detectives found the boy's feet in a plastic bag, a law-enforcement official said.

Mr. Kelly said the 35-year-old Mr. Aron, who has no criminal record other than a summons for a minor infraction, "made statements implicating himself in the death of Leiby Kletzky."

Mr. Aron was charged with murder Wednesday evening. A lawyer for Mr. Aron couldn't be reached for comment.

I'm still shocked at how unbelievably sad this story is. As it notes further down at the report:

On Wednesday, neighbors gathered in front of the Kletzkys' red-brick apartment building. Many had helped search for the missing boy.

"I don't think the Kletzkys had an enemy in this world," said Shmuel Eckstein, a friend of the family. He said the boy's father made a living driving a passenger van. In the summer, he would drive back and forth to the Catskills.

"Leiby was an angel," he said.

I'll say. And Leiby's parents will never forgive themselves. And they'll wake up every day longing to hold their little boy. It makes you want to cry.

Also at New York Times, "Arrest Made in Brooklyn Killing of Leiby Kletsky," and "Thousands Mourn Boy Killed in Brooklyn."