Greenberg is representing Levi Aron, who was charged in the July death of Leiby Kletzky. The case made headlines around the nation last summer, partially due to the sharp contrast between the horrendous nature of the attack and the innocence of the victim. It was Kletzky's first time walking home from summer camp alone. During the seven-block journey he got lost and stopped to ask Aron for directions. Instead of helping the child find his way home, Aron drugged, smothered, and dismembered the boy. His remains were found divided between Aron's attic apartment in Brooklyn and in a trash bin a couple of miles away.
Aron admitted to the murder but according to his attorneys, the confession was coerced. “My opinion is this guy would admit he shot Kennedy if you spent enough time with him,” said Greenberg, who joined the defense team in October.
While an August court-ordered psychological evaluation determined that Aron was fit to stand trial, Greenberg has made it clear that he intends to employ a not guilty by reason of insanity plea. It is likely that he will lean on certain findings in the evaluation to bolster this defense, such as evidence of an adjustment disorder and various schizoid features.
“His mood is neutral, practically blank. The only time he seems to show any emotional response is when he is asked difficult questions about the reason for his incarceration,” wrote a psychologist in the evaluation. Greenberg asserts that he too has had the same experience in his dealings with Aron, describing him as "virtually catatonic.”
And at a status conference on Wednesday, Greenberg revealed a potential angle for his client's insanity defense, citing a familial history of schizophrenia, a brain -damaging bicycle injury, and inbreeding within the Hasidic community in Borough Park.
“Look, everybody knows when blood relations have offspring, there can be genetic defects. It's something that needs to be investigated down to the ground,” Greenberg said in court.
It is unclear whether the matter will be used at trial but it is clear that the Greenberg plans to explore that angle prior to the next hearing in March.
Aron faces the life in prison without parole if convicted.
