Ates Found Guilty In "Too Fat To Kill" Case

2009_10_ates.jpg An obese man's attempt to re-write the "Twinkie Defense" failed yesterday when a NJ jury found him guilty of murdering his son-in-law — despite claims that he was too fat to commit the crime. Williams Ates, 65, was convicted of slaying Paul Duncsak in 2006, then driving 21 hours to his mother's house in Louisiana for an alibi. Prosecutors argued that before killing Duncsak, who was involved in a bitter custody dispute with Ates' daughter, Ates "bought books detailing how to build a gun silencer [and] did Internet searches on how to pick locks and how to commit the perfect murder." The defense said the 285-pound Florida native couldn't have sprinted upstairs and accurately shot the victim — or driven all the way to his mother's home without frequent breaks. He will be sentenced next month.

Email This Entry


Comments (8) [rss]

Is "Top Fat to Kill" one of those new reality show contests we hear so much about? I might break my no TV rule for that one.

Seriously, I love how you guys do absolutely no proofreading; it's the only way you're ever funny.

Maybe it's the plus size annex of Top Shop?

Hey, you take that back. John Del Signore, for one, thinks of himself as an absolute card, with the "piercing wit" that prospective Gothamist writer candidates must possess.

I thought we all agreed to not criticizing the our hosts for not proofreading.

I'm not criticizing, I love it! But now that it's fixed I'd like to request that I be paid in cash - I'm concerned it could bump me into another tax bracket. Oh, what's that? You've already made out the check? OK, that's all right then.

user-pic

Although it makes for somewhat funny content, you really ought to proof your work before publishing.

Post a comment (Comment Policy)

Tips

Get your daily dose of New York first thing in the morning from our weekday newsletter, now in beta.

About Gothamist

Gothamist is a website about New York. More

Editor: Jen Chung
Publisher: Jake Dobkin

Newsmap

newsmap.jpg

Contribute

Latest Tip:

Those Mariachi guys piss me off when you enter a mostly silent subway car.
[more]

Latest Photo:

Subscribe

Use an RSS reader to stay up to date with the latest news and posts from Gothamist.

All Our RSS

Follow us