Brooklyn, NY – The ex-wife of Levi Aron said today she is stunned by his arrest for the grisly murder of an 8-year-old boy — calling him a good husband who was great with children.
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“I am in shock. I am not believing this,” Debbie Kivel, 34, told The Post after hearing the news. “He loved children. He loved kids. My kids are now 13 and 10, but when we were married they were younger – and he loved them.”
Kivel, who lived with Aron in Tennessee, said she spoke with her ex just a few days ago.
“I just talked to him — he seemed like normal Levi,” she said. “Everything sounded fine and normal. This is totally out of character.”
Kivel says she met Aron on a Jewish matchmaking site, and they were married in March 2006.
Nothing he did gave even the slightest hint he could be capable of such a heinous crime, she said.
“He worked real hard to keep us in the apartment,” she said of his job as a security guard. “Everyone loved Levi, he never had a problem with anyone.”
They split a year later due to “a clash of character,” she said, but the Jewish divorce did not go through until 2008.
“It was more like brother/sister,” she said, of the relationship.
But her father, Michael Kivel, said he had earlier misgivings about his former son-in-law.
“He was creepy person,” he said, not wishing to elaborate. “I gather he went to the Hebrew School, but wasn’t smart enough and dropped out.”
did he have a history in the local community that was marginalized??
Of course he loved little kids, and of course their relationship was like brother and sister.
The reason is because he only loved little boys for those who can’t read between the lines.
She once asked for a protective order from him.
Say bye bye to your ex husband
I am originally from Memphis. When he lived in Memphis, he worked at one of the kosher delis. These are ALL very sick people. It would be a mitzvah gedolah to leave them alone. They are not frum, but belong to an orthodox shul. She had children taken away from her by social services. The one thing that people should be aware of is that it is a terrible thing to make a shidduch for two people because both are mentally ill.
He has kids?
We hear this all the time from those who lived with murderers or near them. He was so nice, we never would have thought…, he was normal (or kind, or use whatever positive attribute you would like) etc. I have yet to hear someone say – I thought there was something off with them.
Now let go and let the real detectives and investigaters do their job in uncovering his sordid past-probably child porn on his computer. I say more crackdowns on the distributers of that filth.
Why is it there is always a rotten person who thinks these animals are “good, sweet, special, kind, wonderful” people & seem so surprised at what they do?
Are these morons so stupid? Or somewhat complicit???
She and her kids have already been sentenced when her ex killed Leiby. Have some rachmonos.
I mean absolutely no disrespect, but this is one of those cases where a picture is truly worth a thousand words….
To #10 , they are apparently her kids from a previous marriage
It sounds like somthing must have snapped. His lawyers will have to retain psychological experts to determine if he is capable of standing trial or if he was mentally stable when the alleged crime occurred. If so, he should receive life in prison.
“he was a good husband”
What a joke.. he is a creep. if there’s any justice left in this deep dark golus he is never going to see the light of day again. AND he won’t be missed one bit.
I definitely hold the Rabbonim, especially the Agudah responsible for the death of little Leiby. Enough is enough. Zweibel I hope you hear me loud and clear. Stop telling people NOT to go to the police. Maybe you could have saved Leiby’s life if you would stop spouting this nonsense and listen to Rav Eliyashuv’s peak on molesters. They SHOULD be reported, jailed and stopped. Every single molester jailed saves the lives of potential victims. I am more concerned with the children that can be saved than how choshuv the molester is.
A Picture is more than a Million Words……sick and crazy
You can’t tell from a picture if someone is crazy. He looks like a normal person. People are only saying he looks crazy because they know he is the murderer.
He may have been a good husband. Predators aren’t animals in all areas of their lives. They have one rotten core which, if they don’t excise it, bubbles out to hurt others and eventually the good exterior falls apart too and we see who they really are inside.
PLEASE, if you know of a child molester, whether or not the Rabbonim in your town are doing anything about it, REPORT HIM/HER! Molesters are considered to have the din of a rodef, and mesira does not apply.
Who is the Rav that married them?
Son of sam was supposedly Jewish but was really adopted. They should do a background check and see his roots. A normal orthodox jewish person does not commit a crime like this. I am sure statistics wise it is much lower amongst the Jewish people who are taught life values based on our Torah
I knew Debbie from when I lived in Memphis. She was not a frum girl, did not attend yeshiva, but her best friends were frum.
Debbie was a simple and sweet girl. I’m not surprised to read she had financial issues. I’d be happy if she could hold a job.
But to all the people saying mean things about her or about her looks, you are not a Torah Jew.
What you are doing and what you are saying is wrong and cruel.
This is not the way to show your grief.
She is a simple girl trying to raise two children. Leave her alone.
(Reply to #47 ): “She is a simple girl trying to raise two children……”
Unfortunately, I have much experience with a similar case. These men often marry simple (read: naïve, gullible) women, who were previously married and have kids, for the sole purpose of gaining access to her children. These children would have been 8 and 5 when he married her. Just the right age for sick perverts like Aron to manipulate, control and molest. I would bet dollars to donuts he abused her children. Someone needs to investigate.
Arrrrrrrggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!! So many yentas speculating all sorts of guesses. People, stop playing detective and hurling your agendas and bad middos in all directions.