George Weber

George Weber (March 23, 1961 As a former tobacco user, he has been featured in radio advertisements for KickTheHabitNow.com.

Weber was fired by WABC at the same time as John R. Gambling in February 2008. Financial problems at ABC, coupled with the fact that ABC's new morning show Imus in the Morning had its own newsman, Charles McCord, led to his dismissal. In April 2008, Weber obtained a new assignment doing news updates for the ABC Radio Network.

Personal life A number of Weber's stories and investigations were based around experiences in his private life. He often reported about his neighborhood in New York and his two dogs featured in some of his stories. The last story on his website was published on the same day he died, March 20, 2009, and described an outbreak of bed bugs around his Carroll Gardens neighborhood.

Extract from letter to dog Noodles after death of his other dog Romer: Don't bite me, Noodles, if I hug you a little more these days or if I squeeze you too tight. That's how humans show how much we love each other and comfort each other in times of grief. And someday when you get old and frail, like Romer, I promise I will be by your side in the autumn of your life. You won't be as playful or agile but you will be wiser in your elder years. You'll be able to reflect on all the things you learned, all the friends you made and most of all, little buddy, you will continue to be my best friend well after you take your last nap. I Love You. Daddy.|George Weber|Official website A co-worker became concerned when he didn't show up for work on Saturday, so police were dispatched to Weber's apartment on Sunday at 12:30am, but they noticed nothing amiss, and left. When the co-worker called again at 8:30 a.m., police returned to the building, where a neighbor said he heard water running in the newsman's apartment all night. Police entered the apartment and discovered Weber's body, with his hands and feet bound. Weber had been stabbed more than 50 times in the neck, chest and arms, and his guest bedroom had been ransacked. Authorities said there was no sign of forced entry.

On March 25, police arrested 16-year-old student John Katehis of East Elmhurst, Queens, New York for the murder. He was lured to a rendezvous with detectives by his father, who promised to give him $300, and was arrested without incident. Katehis confessed to the crime when apprehended, also claiming to be a Satanist and a sadomasochist. Katehis told police that he and Weber had met through a personal ad Weber had posted on Craigslist for "rough sex," but stabbed Weber in self-defense after Weber tried to stab him. This led to the media referring to Katehis as a Craigslist killer.

Katehis was charged as an adult with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon, and pleaded not guilty, despite his confession. Katehis's lawyer claimed there was an ongoing relationship between Weber and Katehis. Following a mistrial, Katehis was convicted in 2011 at retrial, and sentenced to 25 years to life. Author David McConnell, in his book American Honor Killings: Desire and Rage Among Men explored the Katehis case as a main example of lethal hate crimes on homosexual men where the perpetrators exhibited some degree of homosexuality themselves.