NEW YORK (PIX11) — The man convicted of kidnapping and brutally killing an 8-year-old Brooklyn boy more than a decade ago has been found dead behind bars, according to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Levi Aron, 49, was found dead at the Wende Correctional Facility on Wednesday, where he was serving a sentence of 40 years to life in prison for the killing of Leiby Kletzky.
In a statement, the Department of Corrections said Aron had been admitted to an outside hospital and that his death was expected. As a result, the family did not request an autopsy. It comes after he was previously admitted to the hospital in August for a medical condition.
Aron pleaded guilty to kidnapping Kletzky in July 2011, when the boy had gotten lost on his way from summer camp on the first day his parents allowed him to walk home alone.
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The hardware store employee at the time had drugged Kletzky and dismembered him. Most of the boy’s remains were found in a dumpster, while his feet were found in Aron’s freezer.
Aron’s cause of death was not immediately made clear. His 29-year-old brother was also found dead in Aron’s home in 2017.
Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.
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