Kletzky Defendant May Be Mentally Ill

More details on the murder, at Wall Street Journal, "Suspect Recounts Time With Child":

The man accused of abducting 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky told police he took the boy to an upstate wedding, let him sleep overnight in his apartment and then fed him a tuna sandwich before smothering him in a panic, authorities said Thursday.

Levi Aron's tale of an initially benevolent effort to help the lost little boy emerged as he appeared in a Brooklyn Criminal Court to face murder charges in a case that has unnerved the city and shattered the tight-knit community where Leiby lived.

Mr. Aron, 35 years old, entered the courtroom to loud and profane jeers from other defendants. He appeared blank-eyed and unemotional.

His lawyer, Pierre Bazile, entered a not-guilty plea on Mr. Aron's behalf and asked that his client be placed in protective custody.

"He indicated to me that he hears voices and has had some hallucinations," Mr. Bazile said. He would not comment further on the allegations outside the courtroom.

Continue reading.

Leiby's mom is said to be overcome with grief. She's beating herself up for giving in to Leiby's pleadings for independence.

Also at Reuters, "NY man accused of killing, dismembering boy is 'hearing voices'."

And New York Times, "Police Sort Through Suspect’s Account as He Pleads Not Guilty in Killing."

VIDEO: Leiby Kletzky Funeral

Via New York Daily News:

Also at NYDN: "Butcher of Brooklyn Levi Aron admits how he killed 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky in chilling confession."

PREVIOUSLY:

* "Reassessment After Leiby Kletzky Murder."

* "Levi Aron Charged in Kletzky Murder Case."

* "Leiby Kletzky."

Reassessment After Leiby Kletzky Murder

I'm upset by the murder of Leiby Kletzky.

We've had an empty nest all week. Our boys have been visiting relatives in Fresno. They'll be back today, but we've missed them. Sure, the downtime from the kids has been nice. The house is clean as a whistle. We had an open house on Sunday. My wife and I detailed everything. Here's the kitchen yesterday afternoon. A few items on the counter, but there's no usual mess from a full day of family cooking and hanging out, with clothes and toys strewn all about:

My wife hadn't heard of Leiby's death. I mentioned it to her when we went out last night to Yogurt Land. She reminded me of the report over the 4th of July weekend of the 6-year-old boy who was allegedly raped after his mother let him use the restroom alone at Rio Hondo Park in Pico Rivera. It looks like a nice park. No doubt the mom felt safe. In Brooklyn, families have to be asking questions, so many questions. As the New York Times reported earlier:

Suddenly, an Orthodox Jewish community that had blanketed streets and subway stations with missing-child posters, that had promised a six-figure reward, had to face the devastating reality: Leiby was dead, and the suspect was also Jewish, living not far away. His death also forced parents, not just in Borough Park but across the city, to wonder, to speculate, to second-guess themselves: Was it one of those headline-grabbing tragedies that could have been avoided? When is a child ready to go it alone, anyway?

My wife and I agree that our youngest son, who's almost 10, is nowhere near ready to "go it alone," so to speak. And my wife worries about our high-schooler, who walks by himself to and from school. We live in the Irvine Unified School District, and it's safe here. But no need to get a false sense of security. No one can predict when a crime might take place, and when one does people ask, "How could this have happened"? Well, yeah. How? But it's too late by then. The Wall Street Journal had something on this yesterday, "After Leiby Kletzky Murder, Urging Parents to Keep Calm." It's an interview with Hara Estroff Marano of Psychology Today. I can't imagine how this is reassuring:

The Wall Street Journal: Most parents’ first reaction to a story like this is to reassess–and in many cases, ratchet back–the independence they give their kids. What should be guiding their thinking right now?

Hara Estroff Marano: The very fact that this is such a rare event should get some consideration in their mind. One reason people are talking about it is because it’s so strikingly unusual. It’s within a particular community… this is a very insolated incident. I don’t know there are really lessons for outsiders here at all, because we don’t yet know all the details. So any reassessment should focus on the rarity of the event. This is just not something that’s likely to happen very often.

The first reaction is ‘oh my god I can’t let my kid walk down the street.’ No, look at the situation. Instead of saying ‘no you can’t cross the street,’ you say, ‘here, I’ll watch you cross the street’ and watch them a few times, then let them do it alone.

Keep reading.

It's sounds so logical and reasonable. Whereas fears and love aren't. I think parents need to go with their instincts, especially if they've got young kids. A couple more yours of hovering ain't gonna harm a child. Frankly, in this day and age, I think families let kids off the leash a bit too early anyway.

Levi Aron Charged in Kletzky Murder Case

At Wall Street Journal, "Missing Brooklyn Boy Found Dead: 8-Year-Old Was Victim of 'Totally Random' Abduction":

A frantic two-day search for a missing 8-year-old Brooklyn boy ended Wednesday with the grim discovery of his dismembered body, the victim of what authorities called a "totally random" abduction by a stranger.

The hunt for Leiby Kletzky, who disappeared Monday after he left his day camp in Borough Park to meet his family, led detectives to the cluttered attic apartment of Levi Aron just after 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Asked where the boy was, Mr. Aron nodded in the direction of the kitchen, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.

They encountered a macabre scene: stained towels stuffed in a black garbage bag, blood smears on the refrigerator handle and three large carving knives and a cutting board inside. Inside the freezer, detectives found the boy's feet in a plastic bag, a law-enforcement official said.

Mr. Kelly said the 35-year-old Mr. Aron, who has no criminal record other than a summons for a minor infraction, "made statements implicating himself in the death of Leiby Kletzky."

Mr. Aron was charged with murder Wednesday evening. A lawyer for Mr. Aron couldn't be reached for comment.

I'm still shocked at how unbelievably sad this story is. As it notes further down at the report:

On Wednesday, neighbors gathered in front of the Kletzkys' red-brick apartment building. Many had helped search for the missing boy.

"I don't think the Kletzkys had an enemy in this world," said Shmuel Eckstein, a friend of the family. He said the boy's father made a living driving a passenger van. In the summer, he would drive back and forth to the Catskills.

"Leiby was an angel," he said.

I'll say. And Leiby's parents will never forgive themselves. And they'll wake up every day longing to hold their little boy. It makes you want to cry.

Also at New York Times, "Arrest Made in Brooklyn Killing of Leiby Kletsky," and "Thousands Mourn Boy Killed in Brooklyn."

Leiby Kletzky

He was killed on his "first day of walking home by himself."

See New York Times, "Hasidic Brooklyn Boy's Remains Found; Suspect in Custody":

The search for a missing 8-year-old Brooklyn boy ended early on Wednesday when investigators discovered what they believed to be his dismembered remains in a third-floor attic refrigerator of a Brooklyn man and in a trash bin on a street, the police said. The man, who made incriminating statements, was being questioned and was expected to be charged, the police said.

The grim discovery capped two days of intense searching for the boy, Leiby Kletzky, who had disappeared while on what was supposed to be a short walk between a Borough Park school and a meeting place with his parents on Monday. Police detectives searched around his neighborhood and used helicopters to find the boy, who was part of the Hasidic Jewish community. They recovered video that clearly showed the boy alive.

In the end, the inquiry led to 466 East Second Street, in Kensington, Brooklyn, the home of the suspect, Levi Aron, 35, who was taken into custody at 2:40 a.m., said Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.

Mr. Kelly said that the boy was lost and apparently was trying to find his way when he encountered Mr. Aron; investigators said that after a conversation, the boy entered Mr. Aron’s vehicle, a 1990 Honda Accord.

More at that link above. And also, "Reaction to the Leiby Kletzky Killing." And at Memeorandum.

Update on Catherine Becker O.C. Spousal Penis Attack Case

AP has video:

And at Los Angeles Times, "Woman accused of cutting off husband's penis held on $1 million bail."

And NBC LA's report is excruciatingly detailed:

When officers arrived, they found the man tied to a bed and bleeding from the groin area. He told officers the woman had given him a drug in the dinner she had made for him.

Investigators said she tied him to the bed after he fell asleep. When he awoke, the woman grabbed his penis and cut it off with a 10-inch kitchen knife, according to police. She then threw it in the garbage disposal and turned on the disposal, police said.

The 51-year-old man was hospitalized at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange. He was listed in serious condition. Pieces of the penis were taken to the hospital, but it remained unclear whether surgeons were able to reattach it.

PREVIOUSLY: "Garden Grove's Catherine Kieu Becker Accused of Cutting Off Husband's Penis and Putting It Down Garbage Disposal."

Casey Anthony to Go Into Disguise

At the clip is Bill O'Reilly's compelling exchange with Nancy Grace from last night:

Also at RCP: "Nancy Grace: 'Somewhere Out There, The Devil Is Dancing Tonight'."

And from London's Daily Mail, "'She doesn't get how much people hate her': Casey Anthony considering disguises and a fake name after release." And at Fox News, "Casey Anthony Reportedly Plans to Use False Name, Disguises Upon Release From Jail."

Gunrunner Money in Obama's Stimulus Package

Instapundit has been all over this story.

And check this editorial at IBD, "The Stimulation of Murder."

RELATED: "Obama’s Watergate."

Fox News Fireworks Over Casey Anthony Verdict

Some excellet television last night on Fox News.

See Hollywood Reporter, "Bill O'Reilly Goes Off on Casey Anthony Juror, Praises Judge (Video)." And Mediaite, "Casey Anthony Got Away With Murder!? Hannity Panel Explodes Over Verdict."

'What Happened in Room 2806': The Evidence Against Dominique Strauss-Kahn

At New York Times:

Even as the criminal case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn erodes with each new example of his accuser’s crumbling credibility, the central question remains unanswered: What actually happened in Room 2806 of the Sofitel New York on May 14?



Certain facts are not in dispute. As the illustration below shows, electronic evidence reveals what time the accuser, a 32-year-old hotel housekeeper from Guinea, entered Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s suite. Physical evidence indicates that a sexual encounter took place.



The housekeeper has characterized the encounter as a sexual assault. Lawyers for Mr. Strauss-Kahn, 62, have said any sexual act was consensual. Others have offered other theories.



Here is a look at three possible sequences of events, and how the available evidence — physical, electronic and witness testimony — could support each of them.

Read it all at the link.

Humberto Leal, Mexican Citizen, Executed in Texas

At New York Times, "Mexican Citizen Is Executed as Justices Refuse to Step In."

More at Memeorandum.

Julie Chen Breaks Down Over Casey Anthony Verdict

At Hollywood Reporter, "Casey Anthony Trial: 'The Talk's' Julie Chen Becomes Emotional While Reading Verdict On-Air (Video)."

And my previous report: "Casey Anthony Not Guilty — UPDATED: Report: Casey Anthony Pregnant!!"

Added: The Lonely Conservative has more: "Julie Chen Needs Therapy After Casey Anthony Verdict."

Casey Anthony Not Guilty — UPDATED: Report: Casey Anthony Pregnant!!

R.S. McCain has the headline: "HOLY FREAKING CRAP! Casey Anthony Becomes the O.J. Simpson of Baby-Killers."

Updates coming ...

Some video:

12:25pm PST: More video ...

And R.S. McCain updates with a report from the Orlando Sentinel:

Frankly, I thought she deserved the death penalty for hogging up endless hours of cable-TV news coverage, but apparently that’s not a capital felony in Florida.

12:50pm PST: Aaron Worthing says he's just getting up to speed but promises updates: "Casey Anthony Found Not Guilty of Murder."

And more video. The local reaction to the verdict:

And Blazing Cat Fur links. Thanks!

1:10pm PST: At Los Angeles Times, "Casey Anthony found not guilty; Twitter erupts in outrage."

And more video:

1:22pm PST: FWIW, from National Enquirer, "EXCLUSIVE: CASEY ANTHONY TELLS PALS -- I’M PREGNANT!"

4:32pm PST: Pat Austin has a report: "Casey Anthony Walks Away."

And more video:

Also, at New York Times, "Casey Anthony Not Guilty in Slaying of Daughter":

ORLANDO, Fla. — Casey Anthony, the young mother whose seeming heartlessness at the disappearance of her daughter transfixed America for three years, was found not guilty on Tuesday of killing the girl, Caylee Marie.

After nearly six weeks of testimony, a panel of seven women and five men decided that Ms. Anthony did not murder Caylee by dosing her with chloroform, suffocating her with duct tape and dumping her in a wooded area, as prosecutors claimed. They did, however, find her guilty of lesser charges of providing false information to law enforcement officers. The jury did not ask to review any evidence.

When the verdict was read, Ms. Anthony, 25, who faced a possible death sentence, cried.

The verdict vindicates the defense, which argued from the start that Caylee drowned accidentally in the family swimming pool and that the death was concealed by her mother and her panicked grandfather George Anthony.

It also drove home just how circumstantial the prosecution’s case proved to be. Forensic evidence was tenuous and no witnesses ever tied Ms. Anthony to Caylee’s murder. Investigators found no trace of DNA or solid signs of chloroform or decomposition inside the trunk of Ms. Anthony’s car, where prosecutors said Ms. Anthony stashed Caylee before disposing of her body.

The prosecution was also hurt by the fact that nobody knows exactly how Caylee died; her body was too badly decomposed to pinpoint cause of death.

All of this allowed José Baez, Ms. Anthony’s lawyer, to infuse enough reasonable doubt in jurors’ minds to get Ms. Anthony acquitted of murder.

“They throw enough against the wall and see what sticks,” Mr. Baez told the jury, “right down to the cause of death.”

More at the link. (Via Memeorandum.)

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Sexual Assault Prosecution Collapses: Accuser's Credibility Destroyed

Interesting story at New York Times, "One Revelation After Another Undercut Srauss-Kahn Accuser's Credibility." (At Memeorandum.)

This isn't something I followed closely. These are serious allegations, but that Strauss-Kahn's a socialist made it amusing, especially in that he was expected to be the next Socialist Party candidate for the French presidency.

And more at this Nightline report, which has some strong statements from the plaintiff's attorney:

Also at Telegraph UK, "Dominique Strauss-Kahn walks free after maid rape case crumbles."

BONUS: At Legal Insurrection, "Strauss-Kahn and credibility problems."

Inside the Anonymous Army of 'Hacktivist' Attackers

At WSJ:

HOOGEZAND-SAPPEMEER, Netherlands—In this sleepy Dutch town last December, police burst into the bedroom of 19-year-old Martijn Gonlag as he hurriedly pulled on jeans over his boxer shorts. He was hauled away on suspicion of taking part in cyber attacks by the online group calling itself Anonymous.

Mr. Gonlag admits taking part in several attacks on websites, but he recently had a change of heart as some hackers adopted increasingly aggressive tactics.

"People are starting to grow tired of" the hackers, he said in an interview. "People are also starting to realize that Anonymous is a loose cannon."
Now he appears to be a target himself. A chat room he hosts faces frequent hack attacks, he says.

Mr. Gonlag's role reversal provides a glimpse of the unruly hunt-or-be-hunted world underpinning a string of online attacks against major companies and government bodies—incidents that have sparked a digital manhunt by law-enforcement agencies in several countries.

What once was just righteous rabble-rousing by Anonymous in the name of Internet freedom has mutated into more menacing attacks, including by a splinter group of Anonymous called LulzSec, which is alleged to have moved beyond paralyzing websites to breaking in to steal data.

The tumult over online agitators like Anonymous comes at a time when the world's computers are under unprecedented attack. Governments suspect each other of mounting cyber espionage and attacks on power grids and other infrastructure. Criminal gangs using sophisticated viruses cull credit-card and other sensitive data to steal from bank accounts.

Now "hacktivists" who populate groups like Anonymous and LulzSec, mostly young males from their teens to early 30s, have also ignited increasing concern among computer experts over the security of corporate and government systems.

RTWT.

It was bound to happen. These are supposedly anarchists, but mostly they're a bunch of young leftist criminals with too much time on their hands. They'll get more menacing and deadly, their attacks more brazen and malicious, and ultimately these same people will be found allying increasingly with various terrorist groups. Some of the recent bombings, in Spain, for example, were the work of anarcho-communist cells. It's all of a piece, and no coincidence that people like this are championed on the progressive left.

Sacramento Mom Accused of Killing Baby in Microwave Oven

I flinched when I first saw this story, at the Los Angeles Times.

See also, Sacramento Bee, " Sacramento mother arrested on suspicion of killing baby in microwave":

In a case as rare as it is nightmarish, police arrested a North Sacramento woman Tuesday who they said killed her 6-week-old daughter in March by burning her to death in a microwave oven.
Ka Yang, 29, was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of murder and assault that resulted in the death of a child. She is being held without bail.

"It's unthinkable," said Norm Leong, Sacramento Police Department spokesman. "Everyone was stunned at the cause of death. Even the detectives were shocked."

Mirabelle Thao-Lo was found dead March 17 by firefighters called to the home in the 800 block of Rood Avenue, in the city's Robla neighborhood.

People at the scene said an adult holding the baby had suffered a seizure and dropped her, Fire Department Battalion Chief Niko King said at the time.

Fire officials summoned police because of the child's traumatic injuries, King said.

Investigators spent three months trying to determine what caused the infant's severe and unusual burns, authorities said.

"She had some really deep tissue burns, fourth-degree burns. It was probably the worst case I've seen," said Sacramento County Coroner's Office spokesman Ed Smith.

Early on, detectives speculated that a household appliance, perhaps the microwave, caused the burns, Leong said. But the rarity of such cases made the investigation more difficult and time-consuming, he said.

More at that link, and also, "Mother accused of killing baby in microwave said she might have split personality." That makes sense, because it's inexplicable beyond mental infirmity. I can't understand it. Sad.

Yo, Janice Hahn 'Got Me Out'!

From Robert Stacy McCain, "CA-36: Democrats Threaten Legal Action Against Controversial Ad," and "Ladd’s Ad Gets Results." And from Turn Right USA, "Our Response to the LACDP Attorneys."

Democrats are sweating bullets and progressives are escalating allegations of racism.

They're freaking now that the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE is involved with a new webpage, "Hahn Got Me Out."

And somebody's making death threats, according to Da Tech Guy, "CA-36 Are apparent death threats more offensive than a viral video?"

And in the news, at L.A. Weekly, "Republicans Launch Fresh Attack On Janice Hahn Over Gang Workers."

Meanwhile, Fox 11 Los Angeles stands by its reporting.

Yo, Hahn got me out!

Added: Cool. Linked by AoSHQ, "Special Election in California District 36: Craig Huey Vs. Gangster Moll Janice Hahn." Thanks!