Crime & Safety

Katehis Convicted of Murder in Newscaster's 2009 Death

In a second trial, a jury convicted the teenage prostitute.

In March 2009, Queens teen John Katehis, 16, responded to an ad on Craigslist. He showed up at WABC Newscaster George Weber's apartment on Henry Street in Carroll Gardens, expecting to be paid for sex.

But after a rough sexual encounter, Katehis stabbed Weber 50 times, according to a city medical examiner, and on Monday was charged with murder in the second degree. He faces up to 25 years in prison.

This was the second trial for Katehis, now 18. Last fall, after a two-week trial, one member of the jury was still not convinced. But this time, it was unanimous.

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Prosecutor Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi called Katehis' murder of Weber, "a vicious, brutal, intentional, unjustified attack."

But Katehis' defense attorney Jay Cohen said the verdict was a "sad outcome."

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"There were no winners. Everyone's a loser," he said.

In both trials, Katehis' attorney attempted to argue that he was defending himself.

"A panicked rage erupted in that apartment. It's an inescapable conclusion that George Weber was the one who introduced the knife," said Cohen in his summation on Monday.

But the jurors did not buy it. Katehis will be sentenced on Dec. 7.


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