Suspect In Newsman's Murder Will Claim Self-Defense

John Katehis, the 16-year-old accused of fatally stabbing radio newsman George Weber 50 times, has pleaded not guilty in court today. Even though Katehis confessed to meeting Weber via Craigslist and heading to Weber's home, where they drank and did cocaine, his lawyer Jeffrey Schwartz blamed Weber, "[Weber] went by the name of SmotherBoy on Craigslist, which is a way he either lured or attemtped to lure other underage boys into his lair, supplied them, or at least Mr. Katehis, with drugs and alcohol, attempted to get him to do some sado-machochistic sex to him and the situation got out of control." Schwartz also told the Daily News, "He thought Weber was going after him and there was a struggle for the knife. There was a big struggle... [Katehis] was on cocaine for the first time, he wigged out. There's more to this case than everyone thinks. This kid was defending himself against a sexual predator."

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By Jen Chung in News on May 8, 2009 5:25 PM

Comments [rss]

langleycollyer

Now that he's stabbed the guy 50 times in "self-defense" he can sue his estate for Carpal-Tunnel Syndrome.

JacqueMehoff

ha ha, he's still in prison

and not looking so tough now. I bet he found some new friends.

ForrestWhitaker

I'll do my best Ms. Krabappel from the Simpson: Self defense? Ha!

GoToHell

Oh the scary "sexual predator"!

Amanda Harletsch

as in "it doesn't exist"? Really? Please elaborate...

GoToHell

Yes, as it the term "Predator", especially "Sexual Predator" is an overused, hyped term invented by the media, fed to an American public that just can't get enough. "Sexual Predators" are the USA's national obsession, and has been for a long time now. It all started with the McMartin Pre-school case, which turned out to totally false. That fact is, America LOVES "Sexual Predators", loves the lurid details, loves, *gasp, on no, sexual predator!* moments, love to think a "Sexual Predator" is around every corner just waiting to snatch away their little children. Yes, that's right, I said America loves it. It's true. Just look at the tabloid yellow journalist success of Dateline NBC"s "To Catch a Predator" series. Total trash television and America EATS-IT-UP. On the surface they recoil in horror, but America can't get enough of this. They lawyer in this case knows it, and "Weber was a sexual predator" is a cheap sensationalist way to get this little piece of garbage teenager off the hook for the murder he perpetrated. Oh think of the children! Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children!!!

GoToHell

Or let me put it another, simpler way, "Sexual Predators" are America's new, hysterical witch hunt.

Amanda Harletsch

mmm, I see.

So you basically support the argument of "America loves sexual predators". Clear enough.

But you seem to confuse what you refer as the "media hype" with the fact that there ARE sexual crimes.

Perhaps you don't like what you deem as excessive coverage...not for that you prove that sexual crimes, and sexual criminals (sexual predators ) are fictional, or that they don't exist and aren't a real danger. How is that witch hunt? Is justice in sexual cases a witch hunt?

Following your logic: If sexual crimes were not publicized by the media, they would disappear?

That is like saying if we did not "publicize" corporate fraud, it would not exist...I see a huge whole in that argument.

Perhaps you think sexual crimes, are not crimes at all?

Quidnam

"Witch hunt" in the sense of a popularly despised and persecuted class. "Witch hunt" in the sense of a mob mentality taking over and leading to innocents being prosecuted along with the guilty. "Witch hunt" in the sense of a contemporary hatred of people who don't fit in (i.e. homosexuals or "perverted" individuals) being conflated with those who are actually breaking the law and harming others (i.e. "witches," or in this case pedophiles).

In this case, we have a kid with obvious violent tendencies willfully and intentionally arrange for drugs and sex with an older man. The man ends up stabbed 50 times.

Only in a sick, twisted, "pedophile"-obsessed society, would this translate into the kid being a hero.

If you doubt that there are people who think this way, read the following:

http://manhattankids.blogspot.com/2009/05/sick-bastard-george-weber-is-dead-thank.html

Amanda Harletsch

perhaps you are taking the strategy of defense as a victory too soon. First of all, who's hero is this kid? No body except his attorney is defending him.

The fact that he is a very young man makes him a vulnerable individual for the system. The kid is also in a criminal process, as the perpetrator of murder...that is not hero status.

People are entitled to have their opinions about the behavior of the victim. Come on, how "risky" is to find a sex games partner in craig list?. I'm not saying this kid is anything close to an angel.

What i find interesting is that you deem ALL SEXUAL CRIMES as fiction, just because the character of the victim is being questioned as part of circumstances involved in the murder.