Leiby Kletzy killer Levi Aron gets 40 years to life in prison

GlobalPost

Hardware store clerk Levi Aron was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison Wednesday for the kidnapping, murder and dismemberment of a lost 8-year-old boy in Brooklyn last year.

Aron, 36, pleaded guilty to the crimes earlier this month as part of a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid trial, The Associated Press reported.

More from GlobalPost: Leiby Kletzy kidnapper Levi Aron pleads guilty to murder

When asked if he wanted to speak at his sentencing hearing, Aron whispered "No."

He will be eligible for parole in 40 years, according to the New York Post.

At his plea hearing, Aron described how he kidnapped Leiby Kletzy while the boy was walking home from religious day camp in July 2011, killed him, chopped up his body and “took it to a dumpster.”

More from GlobalPost: Accused Leiby Kletzy killer 'creeped out children,' paper reports (VIDEO)

“I put it in the suitcase,” the Wall Street Journal quoted him as saying about the boy's body.

That day was the first time Leiby had been allowed to walk alone in the tight-knit Hasidic community in a section of Brooklyn.

The loss of their son has almost been too much to bear for Leiby's parents, a state assemblyman told New York TV station WABC in early August.

They did not attend Wedne

Will you support The World with a monthly donation?

We rely on support from listeners and readers like you to keep our stories free and accessible to all. Monthly gifts are particularly meaningful because they help us plan ahead and concentrate on the stories that matter. Will you consider donating $10/month, so we can continue bringing you The World?  Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!