NEW YORK (WABC) — As police prepared to remove more evidence from Levy Aron’s attic apartment, his legal team suffered a body-blow today.
Defense co-counsel Gerard Marrone abruptly resigned from the case, telling Eyewitness News that he simply could not in good conscience continue to represent Aron, who is accused of abducting and murdering an 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky in Brooklyn.
“The allegations were too horrific, and it’s not something I wanted to be involved in,” he told Eyewitness News. “I have three boys. One of my sons is seven. I looked at my own children and there are no words. You see the victim and you feel so sad.
Marrone admitted there was a time earlier this week when he cried over the death of Leiby Kletzky.
Marrone and his co-counsel Pierre Bazile suggested last week that Aron was schizophrenic and said they were considering an insanity defense.
Bazile sought to downplay that speculation this afternoon
“Reports in the press that a so-called ‘insanity defense’ is planned are premature,” he said in a statement. “Please refrain from publishing this erroneous information.”
People in the community we spoke with insisted that an insanity plea would be an injustice.
The Kletzky family has started the Leiby Kletzky Memorial Fund. As of Thursday morning, they’ve raised $45,000 since the launch of the website.
More information can be found and donations can be made at www.leibykletzkymemorialfund.com.
Donations can also be sent to:
NACHMAN & ESTY KLETZKY
C/O RABBI BINYOMIN EISENBERGER
1448-56 STREEET
BROOKLYN, N.Y. 11219
Gerard Marrone is very nice to visit the Kletzkys. They would be feeling very sad and broken-hearted and also it was good of him to give up being Levi Aron’s lawyer because he realized that he would be better off not knowing about the results of the courtcase.
Lawyers are very nit-picky about words – he never said that his ex-client was horrific, he said that the allegations were horrific. I’m just afraid that they will say that the monster can’t get a “fair” trial in NY, he’ll end up with Sholom Mordechai’s judge, and she’ll give him a prize!
THIS GUY IS SCEZAPHRENIC,NOT SPELLED WRITE. BUT WHO WOULD WANT TO DEFEND A INSANE PERSON? THE LEGAL TEAM REPRESENTING HIM DID THE RIGHT THING AS THEY HAVE CHILDREN, THE SAME AGE AS THE VICTIMS . BLESS THEM FOR DOING IT. REMEMBER EVERYONE,ANYONE IS A STRANGER.
JT,PORTLAND CHABAD
moshiach tzeiten when this type event occurs? reminds me of the “good old days’ in the heat of the moshiach/geula tzeiten (5751?) when after proclamations like “m’darf nor effenen di eigen” to ssee the geula, a lady was murdered killed in CH. the rebbe did not then proclaim moshiach tzeieten, but rather expressed words of frustration and questioning…
wonder when the next lawyer will ‘feel bad’ after being threatened…
I’m impressed
EVERYTHING is from hashem.
No matter what anyone does or doesn’t do.
B’hashgocha protis he’ll get what’s coming to him.
Harbeh shluchim la’mokom!
Good Shabbos.
I can only see that the defence lawyer realizes there’s a higher authority namely God who will exact the precise judgement from on high to effect this animal below. Simple as that. To #1, you are right, these are times just before Moshiach AMEN YHI RATZON
We all have our opinions and it’s good to express them but we don’t know the real reason he backed off. There’s a 50% he has interior not so greqt, shady, intentions, but don’t forget the other 50% chance that he’s being honest with the press.
Let’s wait and see
This is not a good move. Publicity over the lawyer quitting, and the lawyer’s negative comments, could set up the situation for reversal of a conviction on appeal on the grounds of ineffective councel.
.but please remember one fact .Like Obama and the Clintons, he is a lawyer. Respect but suspect.
Benveniste,Tsfat
THE REASONS FOR THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY QUITTING ARE IRRELEVANT….ITS OBVIOUSLY JUST TOO D— PAINFUL FOR ANY HUMAN BEING TO DEFEND THIS MONSTER>
hello ppl what does it matter what were the reasons behind him quiting? he felt bad whether we like it or not or the reasons behind it…. i kinda agree with #6 but the rest is just….
Despite agreeing that this man is a diabolical monster. I think it’s wrong for an attorney to bad mouth his own client. There has to be a law against that.
That’s what I was thinking, conscience – meaning he didn’t want himself or his family killed over this case?
Criminal defense lawyers don’t have a history of backing down from the many horrific cases to hit the news in the past. I am wondering what’s motivating this.
It is specifically in these cases where fingers should be pointed because these cases set our standards for justice and ethical practice. I believe Levi Aron is scum and if this were another state, he’d be the perfect candidate for the death penalty. But I still believe scum has the right to an attorney who doesn’t prejudice their case any further than it is. There is a right way to withdraw from a case, and a wrong way, and this attorney chose the wrong way, in violation of his client’s rights to an effective attorney and the attorney’s ethical obligations.
not after what a horrible crime he did!
like it!
If you’re trying to point fingers at unethical action, this is the wrong place and case to be doing that. The only thing that’s WRONG is what happened to Leiby. This is going to help prosecute him and make it easier for the jury come time to sentencing
Yes, if you can’t handle the case because of personal feelings, you, as an attorney, must quit. But it is absolutely wrong for the attorney to go public and call his client “horrific.”
I’d like to know the real reason behind him doing this. Hope its really about conscience but its good that he did it anyway.
Maybe his ex defendant is feeling a bit insecure now…….
More like couldn’t handle all the death threats he was getting
someone who has a heart
whos he?!?!
When a defence lawyer can turn down such a huge case, then backs off for moral reasons beyond nature, this is Moshiach times. Yesher Koach to this defence lawyer for making the right move.