Bio

John Katehis was born in 1992 and lived in Queens, New York. At the time of the murder, Katehis was 16 years old. He met George Weber through Craigslist after Weber responded to an online ad connected to paid sexual services. The case later received major media attention because of the Craigslist connection and because Weber was a known radio journalist.

Katehis later claimed that he acted in self-defense during a struggle. Prosecutors rejected that explanation and argued that the killing was intentional. His first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors could not reach a verdict. He was retried in 2011 and convicted of second-degree murder.

Murder Story

On March 20, 2009, John Katehis went to George Weber’s apartment in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York. The two had connected through Craigslist. Prosecutors said Weber had responded to Katehis’s ad offering sex for money, while the defense argued that the encounter became threatening and that Katehis acted in self-defense.

Inside the apartment, Weber was bound at the ankles with duct tape. Katehis stabbed him about 50 times. Weber’s body was later found in the bedroom of the apartment after he failed to appear for work. Katehis was arrested on March 25, 2009. Police said he made statements linking himself to the killing. He was charged as an adult with murder and weapons possession. He pleaded not guilty.

At trial, the defense argued that Weber had offered Katehis alcohol and drugs and that a fight broke out during the sexual encounter. Prosecutors argued that Katehis had intentionally killed Weber and that the self-defense claim was not credible. Blood tests and evidence from the apartment became important issues during the trial.

Katehis’s first trial ended in a mistrial in October 2010 after jurors deadlocked. At the second trial, a Brooklyn jury convicted him of second-degree murder on November 15, 2011. On December 13, 2011, John Katehis was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.