Another Blackeye for Craigslist

[Cooper]

ABC News radio announcer George Weber was stabbed to death by a 16 year old boy he met on craigslist. The hook-up was arranged for rough sex and the boy was to be paid $60.

 

Teen Confesses to Killing Radio Newsman

 

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

 

 

 

A teenager was arrested Tuesday night after he confessed to the grisly murder of a radio newsman in his New York City apartment, according to the New York Post.

 

The 16-year-old from the borough of Queens was taken into custody in upstate New York and charged with the slaying of ABC News radio broadcaster George Weber, who was stabbed as many as 50 times in his Brooklyn apartment, the Post reported.

 

The teen, who was not immediately identified, confessed to the gruesome killing early Wednesday morning.

 

A source told the Post that the 47-year-old Weber and the teen had been e-mailing each other.

 

Investigators told the paper that the knife sliced through Weber's neck, back and torso so many times that it was difficult to get an accurate count by the time the body was discovered two days ago.

 

Weber's ankles were duct-taped and wounds on his hands suggested he tried to fight off his attacker, sources told the Post.

 

The killer was believed to be a man Weber brought to his apartment for a sex romp. Sources told the paper that Weber often hooked up with men he met on Craigslist.

[Guest ryan2552]

It might not look good for CL however the increase in baby face killers is alarming. Of course we do not know the circumstances (ir the victim knew the real age of the killer) but the 16 year old man is far from a innocent victim.

 

Either he posted or answered an ad on CL. Went to the victims home most likely with the intent to do him harm. I say this with confidence as the majority of hookups from CL do not end in murder, even if they go badly.

 

I hope the 16y/o will be tried as an adult and receive a very harsh sentence.

[+ Lucky]

Black Mark

 

"but the 16 year old man is far from a innocent victim."

 

Well, I never thought he was an innocent victim. I seem to get the idea that he is a murderer. Let's hope that he is treated accordingly.

[JT Brooklyn]

Sad Story

 

Unfortunately as Rentboy can and is.....Craigslist is becoming more of a CHEAP Pickup "Crap Shoot" than ever!

 

Sad indeed to hear it happened in my Neighborhood also. Apparently this guy was very well liked..

 

Also another case of Crappy Book..But Nice looking cover!

[Guest manrent1]

Unfortunately I think you're right about CL and even RB becoming crap shoots both with quality and with safety. I think this is part of the continuing economic downturn - more and more guys are trying to make rent (or score a high) and turning to more and more desparate options. Sad but true.

[fedssocr1]

According to the story I read the victim posted an ad looking for some one to choke him and provide oral sex. I guess the killer answered his ad. It sounded to me like they emailed back and forth a while before meeting. The killer claims they drank vodka and did coke beforehand.

 

Just a crazy story. The NY Post has photos from the killer's MySpace where he had pictures of his knife collection and himself posing looking tough.

[Steven_Draker]

conflated

 

Unfortunately I think you're right about CL and even RB becoming crap shoots both with quality and with safety.

 

I strongly disagree with this statement. Rentboy and Craig's List are two different things.

 

It is wrong to mix things up when it comes to safety.

[+ Lucky]

Cut To The Chase

 

Although the defendant's Facebook (or MySpace or whatever it is called) has been taken down, Gawker preserved quite a bit of it. The kid is cute, and, if he had been old enough, would have attracted a lot of guys. That is, unless they saw this:

 

http://gawker.com/5184167/teen-murder-suspect-john-katehis-the-complete-gallery

[Guest manrent1]

Steven - I can understand why you'd disagree - but fundamentally there is no security behind anyone that met through rentboy - and with the number of ads on RB increasing daily there are even more chances for "bad apples" to be among the boys for rent. In fact in some ways ads on sites like RB can be deceiving because there is a view among some that the guys are all legit and "checked out" which isn't the case at all.

[JT Brooklyn]

Renting is damn right!

 

Those who think "Rentboy" is Gods chosen vehicle for "Shopping" and all on it are "Sainted Souls" doing Gods Work in supplying Listed "Working Guys" are in for a big surprise!

 

Don't let the occasional "Marketing Ploys" of Rentboy fool ya!

 

I'm sure IF I spent my Advertising Overhead $$ on Rentboy I too would take offense to Craigs Lister's! But I'm sure there are decent "Sex Worker's" on Craigs List also!

 

This poor Victim just got into a Bad PNP which led to Murder by a very unstable KID! Unfortunately alot of Life's Lessons are learned thru the Tragedy of other's over ones Lifetime!

[+ Lucky]

"Unfortunately alot of Life's Lessons are learned thru the Tragedy of other's over ones Lifetime!"

 

Hey, JT, that could be your signature line!

[Guest EuropTravl]

I was just watching YouTube videos of this alleged murderer linked by the NY Post. Also read the news accounts. I have a bad feeling - I think this 16 year old ultimately in the end will get a slap on the wrist. What was the defense used before - "gay panic"? Look for some very elaborate tales of child abuse (despite of course his MySpace page with it's S-M and Satanic overtones)

[orbital sander]

Craigslist did not make the kid kill...and so I do not see how this gives them a black eye?

 

It could have easily been a meeting through another online hook-up site, a newspaper, or a chat room. Craigslist is just the cheapest and easiest way for disturbed and mentally ill teenagers to perpetuate hate crimes...

Sadly, we will probably see more of this kind of thing.

 

Everyone keep a close watch out when you hire unknowns off of classified type sites or while picking up guys on the streets, especially if there is fetish / bondage involved. It goes to show that a little background work is warranted before hooking up with strangers.

[+ glutes]

"but the 16 year old man is far from a innocent victim."

 

Well, I never thought he was an innocent victim. I seem to get the idea that he is a murderer. Let's hope that he is treated accordingly.

 

The kid is a real charmer, check out his facebook profile:

 

http://gawker.com/5183688/teen-slay-suspects-satanic-myspace-page

[Cooper]

Craigslist did not make the kid kill...and so I do not see how this gives them a black eye?

 

If you've been following the news or reading threads on this message board you would know that Craigslist has come under a lot of scrutiney for ads offering sex. The police have been following up on these ads and have made many arrests/raids based on information gathered from this site. This recent incident only gives more bad publicity to Craigslist. There have been rumors that CL might remove all ads suggesting the solicitation of sex.

 

Here in NY, Craigslist now requires individuals who post under the "Erotic" section to register and pay a fee for their post. In the "men-seeking-men" forum, ads offering "generous" sex are deleted.

 

As you stated and I agree, "Craigslist did not make the kid kill", however, it did provide the means for these 2 men to hook-up which, sadly, had a fatal result.

 

Coop

[Guest EuropTravl]

The kid is a real charmer, check out his facebook profile:

 

http://gawker.com/5183688/teen-slay-suspects-satanic-myspace-page

 

Jeez, follow the links and check out his YouTube videos making "hilarious" crank calls. I saw an online news report where they interviewed the victim's neighbors - one lady said "Well I'll wait, I mean I don't know, does he (the alleged murderer) have a history of child abuse?" Might make the victim's family looking for justice nervous.

[Steven_Draker]

speaking with facts

 

Craigslist date gone wrong

A promising 24 year old young Brooklyn car sales man was murdered at what he thought would be a casual hook up. Daniel Brandt thought he was going to meet up with a girl from craiglist, but ended up getting robbed and shot in the head by two men. Here is how the NY Post is reporting it:

Brooklyn man who was lured to an apartment building thinking he was meeting a woman for a date was shot to death yesterday by two men who robbed him, police sources said

Daniel Brandt, 24, went to a fourth floor apartment at West 33rd Street near Neptune Avenue in Coney Island, expecting to rendezvous with a woman he met on Craigslist.

Instead he was jumped and shot in the head.

The two men ran off and Brandt was rushed to Coney Island Hospital, where he died.

Police believe they know who sent the phony e-mails to Brandt and were waiting to get a warrant to search the suspect’s computer, sources said.

This is a sad story because this young man thought he was going to meet up with a girl and ends up losing his life. Can we blame craigslist for this? Look at how many people that have been in the news about myspace hook ups. Remember the young lady who ended her own life off of a fake boy from myspace that her friends made up. Craigslist is full of scammers and so is Myspace. So people please be careful out there on the internet, especially when it comes to online dating. Allthatsfab sends their condolences to Daniel Brandt’s family and friends.

 

source: http://allthatsfab.com/2008/08/26/craigslist-date-gone-wrong/

_________________________________

 

Man robbed by couple he met on Craiglist

For all you boys and gals out there getting your pleasure from an occasional online rendezvous, take warning and be safe.

A recent, Craigslist late-night romp in Uptown Charlotte turned out to be a night one man will certainly never forget. From WCNC:

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say an man visiting Charlotte for a business conference planned a rendezvous at his uptown hotel, and ended up robbed instead.

Detective Randy Carroll says the man made the plans from the “Casual Encounters” section of the website Craigslist. He told police the couple he’d spoken to showed up with a gun, tied him to a chair, and then threatened to kill him if he didn’t give them his correct ATM pin number. CMPD released photos of a woman they believe is the female suspect using that number at a nearby ATM.

 

source: http://blog.q-notes.com/mattcomer/entry/man-robbed-by-couple-he-met-from-craigs-list/

_________________________________

 

Ad for Online Nanny Lured Woman to Her Death

A recent college graduate was lured to her death after responding to a Craigslist ad for a nanny, police said.

 

The body of Katherine Ann Olson, 24, was found Friday night stuffed into the trunk of her car at a nature preserve, according to the Savage, Minn., police. Olson had traveled to Savage from her home in Minneapolis to meet someone about a job as a nanny that she'd seen posted on the Web site Craigslist, police said.

 

Police arrested a 19-year-old man who works at the Minneapolis airport and said they expect to charge him in connection with the murder Tuesday. They declined to identify the suspect, but said they believed he placed the online ad.

 

Olson's father, The Rev. Rolf Olson, told ABC News that his daughter had found other nanny jobs -- including one in Turkey -- through Craigslist and had had positive experiences.

 

He described her as a warm, outgoing, "larger than life" person who loved theater. Olson said his daughter had traveled around much of the world, including Egypt and Argentina, where she worked as a juggler for a circus. Her e-mail address meant "crazy redhead" in Spanish, he said.

 

"She lived a larger than life existence for more than 24 years," Olson said. "I'm broken."

 

Olson wanted to go to Madrid to study in a graduate theater program, and was considering the nanny job so she could make extra money for her trip, he said.

 

 

Olson was last seen by her friends Thursday morning. Her purse was found in a trash can in a park in Savage later that day. Police later found a trash bag in the trash can; inside was a blood-soaked towel, police said. Investigators have not elaborated on the cause of Olson's death and are still awaiting the results of an autopsy.

 

"Katherine was, unfortunately, too trusting," her father said. "She had found benefits on Craigslist, but in her trusting nature, she fell into this trap."

 

When Olson's best friend, Sarah Sevcik, last saw her the night before she disappeared, Olson was deciding if she wanted to work as an interpreter, Sevcik said. Olson ultimately decided the career wasn't for her.

 

source: http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3789765&page=1

_________________________________

 

Craigslist Has Lost Its Innocence

Craigslist, we thought we knew you. Your communal, hippie vibe and San Francisco roots made us feel like we could open our door to the stranger coming over to buy our old Ikea futon. But then the head of the Seattle Police Department's vice unit called you "a vehicle for promoting prostitution," and you got busted for solicitation rings across the country. We took a break, thought we'd be better off without you in our lives, but then we needed a kitchen table, gently used, and came running back.

 

Then, a few months ago, we heard the worst thing so far: a murder tied to you — a 24-year-old Minnesota girl turned up dead in her car.

 

She was trying to save up for a trip abroad and had responded to a nanny job. The 19-year-old man who wrote the post is being charged.

 

Craigslist, you're not the Web Utopia we thought — we hoped — you were. And though we're not ready to totally call it quits, we are going to start bringing our hockey-playing brother along on our future dates.

 

source: http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/news/latest/craigslist-innocence

__________________________________

 

Woman attacked after craigslist hook up

November 6, 2008

40-year-old Wayne Graves was arrested for assaulting a woman he met on craigslist. The woman fdrom Upper Marlboro, Md. was found by police unclothed and injured.

The injuries must have been pretty severe since Graves has been charged with attempted first degree murder.

I am not blaming the victim at all. If the charges are true then Graves is a grade-A scumbag. However, this is just another reason why not to hook up with people on craigslist.

 

source: http://crimene.ws/2008/11/06/woman-attacked-after-craigslist-hook-up/

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Google it! ... 74 400 entries

[fedssocr1]

There was also a killing here in the DC area several months ago of a guy who met a couple on CL for a sexual encounter. I guess somewhere during the encounter an argument ensued, then a fight, then a gun was pulled.

 

However, crime happens all the time to people who DON'T meet on CL too. So I think some perspective is required.

[+ glutes]

Google it! ... 74 400 entries[/color]

 

Steven, how is using rentboy 'safer'?

[+ glutes]

Although the defendant's Facebook (or MySpace or whatever it is called) has been taken down, Gawker preserved quite a bit of it. The kid is cute, and, if he had been old enough, would have attracted a lot of guys. That is, unless they saw this:

 

Sir Lucky, I beg to differ. The kid is cute?

 

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2009/03/26/alg_katehis.jpg

[+ Lucky]

Lawyers!

 

The lawyer for the young knifer is Herb Moses: "I think he was used by an older gentleman, I think these issues will come out," Moses said, calling Weber's death "a very tragic situation."

 

Obviously in lawyer speak that means tragic for the boy. Ironically, Herb Moses is also the name of the guy who lived with Congressman Barney Frank all those years ago.

[JT Brooklyn]

Life's Lessons

 

Lucky..After all this time reading the REPUTABLE Review's on Hooboy and now Daddys, I could put it a less delicate way "We ALL Learn from other's Mistakes" when it comes to Hooking Up!

 

I for one would never forget the fact that we all donot hear about the "Hook Up Horror Stories" that DONOT make the Nightly News or Daddys Chit-Chat Sessions...

 

There are those around here who tend to "Galmourize" the Hiring Procedure both Working Guys and Clients, both for their own reasons ! One way is to play Cheerleader and wave your Poms Poms (or Nuts) for Rentboy!

 

Bottom Line it is what it is..$$$$

 

Whether it's going into a Guys Wallet or going out of it!

[orbital sander]

If you've been following the news or reading threads on this message board you would know that Craigslist has come under a lot of scrutiney for ads offering sex.

 

Yes I have been well aware of all the news about Craigslist....and the fee policy to list in "erotic services" is the new policy for all of the CL pages in the USA, not just in your town (also well documented in the news).

 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/06/BUVO13VQUM.DTL&tsp=1

 

My point is that a lot of violent and hateful crime happens every day. Craigslist is not the cause of any of it. CL just happens to be ONE of the MANY ways that criminals contact potential victims. Pricks like Sheriff Tom Dart would have us believe that CL is the cause of crime. CL is not some huge conglomerate run by scheming CEO'S who are immoral assholes, they are a small group of folks who work hard to make a commercial free space for people to do business.

 

Unfortunately, for all it's good intentions, CL is abused daily by criminals, as are many other web sites. Some of these sites are free, some are not.

 

(and no NCM, AIG is not one of them.

[BewareofNick]

Is it really fair to blame Craigslist, though? It's a tragedy, don't get me wrong, but this guy was perving on a 16 yo old kid.

[Cooper]

Who's to blame?

 

Is it really fair to blame Craigslist, though? It's a tragedy, don't get me wrong, but this guy was perving on a 16 yo old kid.

 

BON, First off, welcome back. I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do.

 

Secondly, re: the killing of George Weber... In this case, do you think Craigslist should take any responsibility for the events that led up to the tragic death of George Weber?

 

As for the age of the accused, is it known for a fact that Weber knew the real age of his killer?

 

Coop