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Teen Wore Murdered Newsman's Clothes When Arrested
By
Billy Parker
Published Mar 26, 2009
Modified Mar 26, 2009
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By
Billy Parker
Published Mar 26, 2009
Modified Mar 26, 2009
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Sixteen-year-old John Katehis pleaded not guilty in a Brooklyn court last night to charges of second-degree murder and weapons possession after police say he confessed to the stabbing of WABC radio newsman George Weber earlier in the day. His lawyer said that details of the relationship between the two will emerge later and that he thinks Katehis "was used by an older gentleman." The teen apparently responded to Weber's Craiglist ad looking for rough sex.
After news broke yesterday of the teenager's confession as well as details from his MySpace profile and YouTube channel, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly shared an account of the crime with the press. He said that Katehis had bloodied his clothing so badly in the attack that he put on some of Weber's clothes—and was still wearing them when he was arrested in Middletown Tuesday night.
Katehis told police that Weber, whose feet and hands were bound with duct tape, took out a knife to free himself. According to the Post, "Katehis, high on cocaine and vodka, said he panicked, grabbed the knife from Weber, stabbed him twice and fled." However, police don't necessarily agree with his story, since Kelly said, "Weber was stabbed approximately 50 times to the neck, the front and the back of his upper torso and both arms. He also had defensive knife wounds to his hands."
Katehis had also cut himself and was brought to Elmhurst Hospital Center by a G train conductor who spotted him bleeding Friday night. Katehis claimed he cut himself on a bottle and was released. His parents aided police in the sting: Katehis was on his way to hide out with a friend and went to the bus depot, believing that his father would be waiting to pick him up, but the police were waiting and arrested him.
Both Gay Wired and Queerty look at the role of Craigslist in the tragic incident. Queerty asks, "Is Craigslist Responsible for the Grisly Death of George Weber?" and refers to the site as "a 21st century equivalent of the Rambles."
Last night, friends of Weber's held a private memorial service for him inside his Cobble Hill apartment and then headed to his favorite bar, Angry Wade's on Smith Street. There they drank shots of Wild Turkey in his honor. A friend told the News, "I really wish people knew George the way we knew George."
Tagged
craigslist
george weber
john katehis
Ray Kelly
teenagers
wabc radio
Billy Parker
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