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Video: Matter-Of-Fact Confession From Newsman's Killer
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 21, 2010
Modified Oct 22, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 21, 2010
Modified Oct 22, 2010
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Yesterday, a Brooklyn jury watched videotape of a 16-year-old explaining how he killed WABC Radio newsman George Weber. John Katehis, who is now 17 and on trial for Weber's murder, claimed it was an accident, saying on tape, "The knife just goes and jabs him in the neck. We're fighting over the blade and it jabbed him in the neck," but a doctor testified that Weber was stabbed eight times in the neck, not to mentioned dozens more times elsewhere.
Weber was found dead in his Carroll Gardens apartment in March 2009; it turned out that Weber had placed an ad for rough sex on Craigslist and Katehis confessed to the killing. In the video, Katehis explained, "It was a gig, he [Weber] wanted someone to smother him," and said that Weber gave him beer and cocaine before they went into the bedroom, "He wanted me to put VCR cleaner on the [duct] tape and put it on his mouth." The Daily News reports that Katehis, who bragged about his dark side, laughed in court when the video was played. Here's the confession:
The confession tape also revealed that Katehis admitted to stealing things from Weber while he was dying (he was also wearing Weber's clothes when he was arrested). Prosecutor Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, who has a perfect record with no acquittals in 36 homicide trials, has painted Katehis as a cold-blooded killer. In the meantime, the teen's lawyer has blamed the victim, saying Weber was a sexual predator for plying Katehis with alcohol and drugs, adding, "If someone pulls a knife on you and you're high on cocaine that's justification."
Tagged
Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi
craigslist
fatal stabbing
george weber
john katehis
killing
murder
stabbing
taped confession
trial
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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