A Brooklyn judge slammed the lawyers of accused butcher Levi Aron, ripping them for their inexperience and their gripes about media coverage of the case.
@WiL
In an unusual and hastily-called hearing Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog grilled lawyers Pierre Bazile and Jennifer McCann about their legal chops. Had they been public defenders, Firetog said, he would have assigned more seasoned attorneys.
Replacing Bazile and McCann isn’t an option, since they were hired privately.
“[I’m] concerned that counsels don’t have the experience to try a complex case such as this,” Firetog said. “My only concern is that the defendant gets a fair trial.”
Bazile, 40, said he once assisted as a lawyer in a murder trial. McCann, 30, said she never tried a homicide case and has six total trials under her belt.
Their 35-year-old client is charged with abducting and murdering Borough Park boy Leiby Kletzky last month after the 8-year-old got lost and asked for help.
The brutal slaying shocked the city and Aron’s lawyers have indicated they’ll pursue an insanity defense.
The killer’s confession and his psychiatric exam have been reported in the press and the Daily News published an exclusive jailhouse interview with him.
Firetog, an experienced jurist who hears mostly murder cases and once served as the court’s administrative judge, was responding to the defense team’s protests over the disclosures.
“The public has a right to see whatever is available,” the judge said. “If you have a problem, you should have moved to preclude.”
He also skewered the legal team for not restricting Aron’s visitors list in Rikers.
