Judge Scolds Levi Aron’s Lawyers for Inexperience, Facebook Posts and Misspelled Word
A Brooklyn judge presiding over the murder prosecution of Levi Aron showed impatience with the defense lawyers on Tuesday.
Judge Neil Firetog grilled the lawyers “about their legal chops” and expressed concern that they don’t have the experience to try such a complex case, the New York Daily News reports. If public defenders were representing Aron, Firetog said, he would have assigned ones with more experience.
Aron is represented by Pierre Bazile, who once assisted as a lawyer in a murder trial, and Jennifer McCann, who has tried six cases, none of them homicides. McCann specializes in insanity defense pleas, the New York Times reports.
Firetog scolded the lawyers for complaining about press coverage of the case after giving media interviews and posting comments on Facebook. He even chastised the lawyers for misspelling “canon” in a reference to ethics, the Times says. “Two N’s means a cannon that shoots at something,” he said.
Aron is accused of kidnapping and murdering 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky, who got lost as he walked home from camp. A former defense lawyer quit the case, saying his emotional reaction to the crime made it too difficult to represent the defendant.
