We’ll soon know everything in the world about 16-year-old John Katehis, the confessed murder of former WABC radio anchor George Weber. A Craigslist hook up that turned into a savage stabbing soon became a scared kid running from the scene.
After the murder Friday, Katehis shed his bloody clothes and fled Weber’s pad in some of the victim’s duds – only to land in cop custody after a G train conductor spotted his bleeding left hand, Kelly said.
Katehis told cops at Elmhurst Hospital Center he cut his hand on a bottle, Kelly said.
Weber’s body wasn’t found until Sunday, so cops had no idea Katehis might be a killer. They let him go and he fled upstate to Middletown in Orange County, hoping to hide out at a friend’s house, Kelly said.
When cops nabbed him just before midnight Tuesday, Katehis was still dressed in Weber’s clothes and carrying a dagger that was not the murder weapon, Kelly said.
Katehis admitted stabbing Weber, a longtime WABC reporter, after answering an ad on craigslist looking for rough sex. [NYDN]
EARLIER:
• Is Craigslist Responsible for the Grizzly Death of George Weber?
sbs94553
the kid trapped the old man. i think they should throw the punk in prision for life.
Paul
or perhaps we should not be so quick to throw a 16 yr old away for life…..yes what he did was terrible, but let us think about this for a second….
he is 16….
he had a bizarre and unrational obsession with guns….
was he gay/bi? don’t know…but if so what emotional issues was he having….
his myspace have multiple signs of someone needing help…where were his parents? teachers?……
Please do not think I am condoning Mr. Weber’s murder, its a horrible tragic thing, but this boy needs help more then a jail cell for the next potentially 70-80 years.
Paul
i wrote guns…meant knives!
Michael W.
He should be executed as soon as possible.
Jonathan
@Michael W.: Um… when last I checked, we at least tried to find out what actually happened when someone is killed, before we end up executing a person we think may be responsible.
Ok? Investigation. Then trial; then verdict; And then, and only if the verdict is guilty: sentence.
FYI: At the moment, if I recall correctly, the death penalty cannot be imposed under state law in NY. So, I doubt that execution is an option here.
radg
maybe the old man went crazy and this was self defense? not likely but don’t judge too quickly is my poing
J
What will putting this kid in prison honestly achieve other than clogging up the prison system and costing tax payers money? He needs therapy, rehabilitation and a reasonable scentence until that rehabilitation is fully and utterly carried out so he can function normally in society.
Of course he’ll never get that. He’ll just get a stiff prison scentence so the courts can look “tough on crime” because of the media spotlight and no real attention when he gets in there. So he can get out, resentful[sic] of the system and do it all over again.
*face palm*
diana
I don’t think he was gay… hopefully he does get the help he needs… It’s a shame that a teenager could be capable of somthing like that… but these are the days, anyone is capable of killing, but thats not the point, he needs a very good therapy thats my opinion… plus wasn’t he drunk and on cocane?
scott
exactly. I think the alcohol and cocaine might have something to do with it. Still doesn’t make it right, if he did it.
Mickey's mouse :P
apparently weber pulled the knife out, so yeah, it could have been self defense, and maybe the guy got scared…you never know.
cayuga
cocaine and vodka make me happy not maniacal…eh, pc world backfires yet again. what to do? i guess pretend its another world..goodnight.
John in Boston
The ‘kid’ is f’ed up, and was HIGH ON COCAINE,VODKA,and GOD KNOWS WHAT ELSE….these things alone can explain what went down.
Mr Weber looked from photos like he was a big,healthy dude and 47 isn’t exactly ‘old man’….he looked like he was capable of doing damage if he wanted or needed to.
It will turn out John Katehis had a very bad upbringing and much of the myspace and other crap was little more than a young dude crying for attention….who the heck to people think listen to death metal? Young men from teens to early mid 20’s are the prime ‘target’ audience.
Then again a just starting out serial killer may have been caught.
John in Boston
Everyone notice John’s nose has been broken at least once and never properly set to heal? I’d say it was broken more than once.
That could be from allot of things including getting smacked around or beaten.
HerrDoktor
My own thinking is that, due to the seriousness of his crime, Katehis should be tried as an adult. Let his lawyer(s) determine if he has a chance at self-defense or insanity.
Though neither defense seems plausible from the admittedly limited information available, never underestimate the potential for a jury to conflate “middle-aged homosexual” with “pedophile” and blame the victim for being killed. Make no mistake: if this goes to trial, Weber will be portrayed by the defense as a predator.
If Katehis was beaten or abused at home, or had mental health/chemical dependency issues, these factors can be used to mitigate the severity of his sentence. My own sense is that he strikes me as something of an antisocial type, which is generally not a good prospect for rehabilitation.
Without knowing more, my preference would be for Katehis to be sent away for a long, long time so that he doesn’t hurt anyone else. This is why we have prisons, after all. (And if crowding is an issue, they should let a potsmoker out.)
Kid A
@John in Boston: Death metal has nothing to do with it. Myself and a ton of my friends listen to metal and we’re perfectly well-adjusted, if i do say so myself. Studies show that metal fans tend to have higher than average IQs, second only to classical and jazz fans, and be reserved, introspective people.
Anyone who takes the over-the-top imagery of death metal seriously and commits violence was going to be maladjusted anyway.
Ousslander
being cpked up or drunk should not be mitigating circumstances. Stoned or not ya still killed someone. Killers should fry
NYC
@Mickey’s mouse đ: oh – did Weber tell you that? Are the kid? If the kid, he was lying.
Bokeh
killers and graffiti “artists” should be put down.
John in Boston
My point above was that death metal or any ‘violent’ genre of ‘music’ had nothing to do with this kid’s actions.
I should be locked up for life in protective custody after what I watched,listened and played when I was 16
And yeah, his taste in music is geared and marketed towards a very specific group…..it’s a big business that exists to make money.
John in Boston
Serious mental instability, alcohol and drug use (more specifically abuse) in an immature kid (HE IS STILL ONLY 16 FOR CHRIST’S SAKE) interacting no less with an adult man involving a sexual situation (INTENSE EMOTION) is a recipe for disaster.
And understand from a physiological stand point this kid’s brain literally is still maturing, for most people this goes on until around 21; this results in very unpredictable mental state and drug/alcohol interaction compared to normal mature adults.
I’m NOT excusing the kid, and I don’t think Mr. Weber ‘deserved’ to die.