A Brooklyn jury has convicted 19-year-old John Katehis of second-degree murder in connection with the brutal March 2009 stabbing death of a gay radio reporter he met through Craigslist.
Katehis is the Satan-worshiping hustler who confessed to the bloody slaying of radio newsman George Weber during a rough sex-for-cash-hookup gone wrong. Katehis’ first trial in October 2010 ended in a mistrial. The retrial began two weeks ago.
Defense attorneys have portrayed the slain newsman as a drunk "predator" of teen-aged boys who "lured" the then-16-year-old under false pretenses. Prosecutors said the evidence showed that Katehis was a cold blooded killer, reports Duncan Osbourne at Gay City News.
Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case, delivered an effective closing argument on November 14, telling jurors that Katehis, now 19, may have planned Weber’s murder and perhaps even tortured the 47-year-old victim before killing him. Jurors began deliberating around noon on the 14th and announced they had a verdict by 3 p.m. on November 15. The speed of their verdict suggests they easily adopted the prosecution’s theory.
Katehis plead not guilty to the murder of the former ABC News Radio personality, claiming he acted in "self-defense" when he stabbed Weber up to 50 times in his Brooklyn apartment. The troubled teen claims Weber was accidentally killed during a PNP-fueled bondage session gone wrong.
There were no drugs in Katehis' system, according to the police report. Although Katehis told police that he answered Weber's Craigslist ad offering $60 for rough sex, prosecutors proved that it was actually the teen who offered oral sex, among other services, in Internet ads aimed at men.
Some Background ..
Opening Arguments in Retrial of Teen Accused of Slaying
Hung Jury in Trial of Teen Accused of Brutal Newsman Slay
Jury Deadlocked in Trial of Teen Accused of Reporter Slaying?
Katehis: Not Guilty, Stabbed Newsman 50 Times in Self-Defense
Slain Newsman Should Have "Researched" Teen Killer
Rough Trade: 16 Year Old Satanist Confesses to Slaying
Teen Satanist Pleads "Not Guilty" to Bloody Slaying
Slain Newsman a Predator of Teen Boys, Defense Attys Claim
Closing Arguments in Trial of Teen Accused of Brutal Slaying
this is good news but it does not bring this man back to life
Posted by: robert | 16 November 2011 at 11:19
kudos!!!
buh bye
Posted by: alicia banks | 16 November 2011 at 19:26