What Led to the Death of 8-Yr-Old Leibby Kletzky?

Leibby Kletzky, an 8-year old Brooklyn boy, got lost on his way to meet his parents but who would have thought that he may need to part with his life as well.

It was the boy's first day to receive permission to walk home from day camp, when the otherwise exciting sign of independence became the worst nightmare.

Kletzky had instructions to walk up to 13th Avenue and meet his parents at the intersection of 13th and 50th Street. But the boy kept walking straight and lost his way.

Kletzky was murdered by Brooklyn resident Levi Aron, in what is one of the cruelest murders to hit the greater New York area in a while.

Killer Aron claimed that Kletzky had asked him for a ride to a book shop and then changed his mind, according to the confession made to the police.

He then took Kletzky to his home and slept along with the boy. When Aron woke up next morning he was panicked after seeing the fliers and intense search led by the community and the police upon notification the boy was missing.

He then killed the boy after suffocating him with a towel.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said, He panicked, and that is why he killed the boy.

Aron then cut his body and kept some parts in a refrigerator.

Aron was charged with second degree murder Wednesday, which happened to be his 35^th birthday.

He directed the police to the boy's remains in the refrigerator and then pointed them to the dump.

Aron was a seeming mild-mannered maintenance supply worker, whose neighbors said he prayed at a local synagogue daily.

I can't believe this. He was a strange guy, but he was here yesterday and he was fine after killing this little boy, one of Levi Aron's co-workers told Brooklyn media.

“When news of Leibby’s disappearance broke, I joined my constituents and parents everywhere in a sense of fear and concern, mixed with a powerful hope that he would be found unharmed. Today, I am speechless and shocked by the brutality and injustice of this horrific crime. As a father and a human being, I am deeply saddened that so innocent a soul could be so cruelly taken. I join my constituents in Borough Park and people everywhere in wishing the Kletzky family strength and blessings to heal from this awful tragedy, Congressman Jerrold Nadler said in a statement.

Kletzky was last seen Monday near 44th Street and 12th Avenue in the Jewish community of Borough Park.

Apart from the police, the entire tightly-knit Orthodox Jewish Community in Brooklyn, to which the boy's family belonged, conducted an extensive search for him.

Aron was soon identified through the aid of a surveillance camera tape. When the police tracked him down and busted through his apartment on Wednesday, Aron confessed to the murder.

Meanwhile, the funeral of Kletzky was held Wednesday evening and was marked by a speech from the boy's father.

Kletzky, who would have turned 9 this month, was 4-foot-tall and was last wearing a stripped blue shirt, blue pants, black belt, and a blue backpack.