An 8-year-old Brooklyn boy who was kidnapped, killed and dismembered had been drugged before he was smothered to death, including with a drug used to treat schizophrenia, the medical examiner said.
The findings were released Wednesday as Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes announced a grand jury indictment charging the suspect, Levi Aron, in the case.
The indictment charges Aron with multiple counts, including first-degree murder and kidnapping. The 35-year-old hardware clerk pleaded not guilty at an initial arraignment last week, and his lawyers have said he hears voices and sees hallucinations.
He is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue Hospital. Attorney Pierre Bazile said Thursday that testing was ongoing and declined further comment on the case.
On Thursday, an NYPD spokesman said investigators are continuing to carefully and meticulously comb through Aron's apartment, which he described as "cluttered."
The medical examiner's report Wednesday said Leiby Kletzky had been given muscle relaxant, anti-psychotic drugs, painkillers and Tylenol before he was killed. The anti-psychotic drug, quetiapine, is used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia, and can also be used for depression and other episodes of mania.
"The child was kept for more than 12 hours, and there was an intent to kill," said Hynes.
Hynes said there was no evidence of sexual abuse on the boy.
Kletzky was abducted after he left day camp the afternoon of July 11. He was supposed to walk seven blocks to meet his parents, but got lost and encountered Aron on the street.
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Aron told police in a confession that was obtained by NBC New York that he took the boy, later panicking when he saw the missing person reports.
He says he suffocated the boy and then dismembered his body, disposing of some parts in a Dumpster.
The medical examiner listed the boy's date of death as July 13, which was the day Aron was arrested at his home at about 2:30 a.m.
A medical examiner spokeswoman said the date is not an indication of when the boy was actually killed, just when his body was found. As of now, the ME cannot scientifically pinpoint the time of death.
An official familiar with the case said investigators believe Aron drugged the boy while he went to work on Tuesday, and killed him that afternoon or evening. Prosecutors say he had marks on his body that indicate he was tied up.
Hynes said there was no telling whether the boy saw any opening to flee.
"Did he have an opportunity, was he too frightened to do anything about trying to escape? I don't know," said Hynes.
A prayer service was held for Kletzky Wednesday evening. About 200 people had gathered at Congregation Anshe Sfard in Brooklyn by 8 p.m., and a steady stream of visitors circulated throughout the evening.
Read a redacted transcript of Aron's alleged confession here.
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