We're counting the minutes until spokespeople for conservative, God-fearing America start blaming heavy metal again for the disintegration of values and morality in today's youth. Specifically, our latest assertion stems from the murder of ABC News Radio journalist George Weber, who was stabbed to death in his Brooklyn home by 16-year-old metal fan, John Katehis, who lived in Queens. On his MySpace page (which was taken down on Wednesday), Katehis posted photos of himself holding knives and swords and wearing Cannibal Corpse and Lamb of God t-shirts.
Katehis described himself as "an extremist, an anarchist and a sadomasochist" and said he liked "extreme violence, (chaos, anarchy, etc...) video games, violent movies and listening to my iPod." Clearly the kid was a timebomb waiting to explode and his listening habits had nothing to do with his violent outburst.
The New York Times reports that Katehis was arrested on Tuesday night outside a bus station in Middletown, New York and later confessed to stabbing Weber -- though he did not enter a plea or make any comments when he was arraigned before a judge in Brooklyn Criminal Court.
Apparently, Weber, who was stabbed about 50 times, placed an ad for a sex on Craigslist. Katehis, believing he would be paid for the encounter, responded. Police are unsure what caused him to kill Weber; Katehis had no prior criminal record.
According to Gawker.com, Weber was looking for "rough sex" and allegedly told a source, "I can smother somebody for $60." The site added that Katehis couldn't remember how many times he stabbed Weber because he was on drugs and blacked out during the attack.
The New York Post said that Weber's ankles were tied with duct tape, but that before he died he fought back and wounded Katehis. After killing Weber, Katehis boarded a subway, where a conductor saw him bleeding profusely from his left hand, said New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. Katehis, who said he hurt his hand on a broken bottle, was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center for treatment.
After he was released, Katesis went to a friend's house in Middletown. He was tracked down after police searched Weber's emails and talked to Katehis' family. According to The New York Times, Katehis' father told his son to meet him at the bus station and when the teen approached the car, detectives got out to arrest him. Katehis immediately ran across the street, but more cops got out of an unmarked van and tackled and handcuffed him.
If we have to say metal somehow played a role in all of this, can't we at least blame it someone crappy like Poison or Faster Pussycat?
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