E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Louis Lanzano / Pool via AP
Levi Aron is shown at his arraignment last year in Brooklyn criminal court.
Updated at 5 p.m. ET: NEW YORK -- Accused child killer Levi Aron is expected to plead guilty next week to abducting, killing and dismembering Leiby Kletzky, an 8-year-old boy kidnapped when he got lost walking home from day camp in Borough Park last July, according to two sources close to the case.
A tentative plea deal calls for a sentence of 40 to 60 years in prison for Aron, but the details could still change, one source said. A second source said talks about the length of Aron's prison term are continuing.
Aron's attorney, Jennifer McCann, declined to comment. A spokesman for the Brooklyn district attorney declined to comment. Aron's next court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 9.
State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, D- Brooklyn, said that the Kletzky family wanted to avoid a trial.
“The pain they would go through is beyond comprehension. … The family feels this will be justice. They know it will not bring Leiby back.”
Hikind said he will read a family statement in court next week.
See the original story at NBCNewYork.com | More from NBCNewYork.com
Kletzky went missing July 11, 2011, while walking home from religious day camp, the first time he was allowed to walk by himself. He missed his turn and got lost, and police say he approached Aron for help.
About two days later, the boy's severed feet were found in the freezer at Aron's apartment, along with bloody knives and a carving board. The rest of the boy's body was found in a red suitcase in a trash bin several blocks away. His legs had been cut from his torso.
According to prosecutors, Aron admitted he killed the boy after he panicked when he saw posters with the child's photo. After the two met on the street, Aron took the boy to a wedding upstate, then to his apartment.
Read a redacted transcript of Aron's confession
NYPD via AP
Leiby Kletzky
The child remained at the apartment alone all day while Aron was at work. When Aron returned, he took a bath towel and smothered the boy, he said, according to authorities.
The medical examiner's office said the boy was given a cocktail of prescription drugs. But Aron's confession didn't mention that, and he denied ever tying up the boy, though marks were found on the child's body.
Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.com
A court-ordered evaluation in August found Aron fit to stand trial on murder charges, but said he is deeply troubled, with an adjustment disorder and a personality disorder with schizoid features.
Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter
"His mood is neutral, practically blank," the psychologist wrote in the evaluation. "The only time he seems to show any emotional response is when he is asked difficult questions about the reason for his incarceration."
More content from NBCNews.com:
- 50 percent of US counties deemed 'natural disaster areas'
- Antiques dealer double-crossed investigators to get valuable rhino horns
- Video: Alleged police shooting victim sues
- Colleges freeze, reduce tuition as public balks at further price hikes
- From combat to corporate -- and the new stigma blocking some veterans