HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) — A jury rejected a Florida man's claims that he was too fat to have run up and down a flight of stairs and killed his former son-in-law, convicting him Friday of murder.
Edward Ates looked down and shook his head in court as he was found guilty of murder and weapons counts for killing Paul Duncsak, a 40-year-old pharmaceutical executive who was shot six times in August 2006.
The panel of eight women and four men issued its verdict on its second day of deliberations after a trial that lasted more than a month.
Ates, 62, had argued he didn't have the energy to accurately shoot Duncsak from a perch on the staircase at Duncsak's home in Ramsey, about 25 miles northwest of New York, and make a quick getaway to Louisiana. Ates weighed 285 pounds at the time.
Defense attorney Walter Lesnevich said they would immediately appeal the verdict.
Prosecutors claimed Ates drove from his home in Fort Pierce, Fla., to Duncsak's $1.1 million home in Ramsey, about 25 miles northwest of Manhattan, in August 2006. Once there, they said he climbed a staircase and shot him as he returned from work. At the time, the victim and Ates' daughter were involved in a bitter custody dispute after their divorce.
Police quickly suspected Ates and found him 24 hours later at his mother's home in Sibley, La.
During the trial, Lesnevich said his client was in such bad shape that he could not have pulled off the shooting or made such a quick getaway, driving 21 hours drive to Louisiana in order to create an alibi as prosecutors claimed he did.
"Look at him," Lesnevich told jurors, noting that Ates was 60 pounds heavier at the time of the crime.
Ates took the stand in his own defense during the trial, saying he had no reason to want Duncsak dead. But he didn't delve much into his weight.
Some of Duncsak's family members cried softly after the verdict was read. Ates' wife, Dottie, sobbed in the gallery as he was handcuffed and led away by court deputies.
"It doesn't bring him back, but at least he won't get away with it," said Duncsak's sister-in-law, Barbara Duncsak. "It's satisfying. It was a long time coming."
Breaking News
NJ jurors convict Fla. man in 'fat defense' trial
- Breaking News
-
-
Woman found in "house of horrors" in Navarro County
- Police chase ends at Holly Oaks apartment complex
-
Suburban strikes school bus on Fort Worth Highway
A woman was taken by air ambulance to a Metroplex hospital around 4 p.m. this afternoon after she drove into the back of a school bus.
-
Winter blast on the way
Parker County residents are bracing for one of the coldest winter storms this year.
Today, Tuesday and Wednesday will mark one of the coldest days this winter with a wind chill factor reaching 0 degrees Matt Mosier, metrologist for the National Weather Service, said. -
Jack Borden Dies
-
City rescinds boil water notice
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has given the City of Weatherford approval to discontinue the boil water notice issued Monday due to the pipe failure at the water plant.
“Our system has taken the necessary corrective actions to restore adequate pressure, disinfectant levels, and bacteriological quality, and has provided TCEQ with the testing results that indicate the water no longer requires boiling,” states a release from the city.”
-
Restaurants given OK to open for business
Restaurants and hotels were given the go-ahead to open today at 3 p.m. provided they have enough water pressure to flush toilets and boil water for consumption.
Hotels were given instructions not to use ice machines.
“We’re keenly aware of the burden we placed on businesses, especially with the downturn in the economy,” Assistant City Manager Robert Hanna said in a 4 p.m. press conference. “The more people work with us to refrain from using water, the quicker we can lower the restrictions.”
- Partial water service anticipated, press conference set
-
Water runs out across city
Homes and businesses across Weatherford are losing their water supply as the result of a major water line break.
Around midnight city officials were alerted that a 24-inch water pipe in the clear well at the water treatment plant had pulled loose. While city crews were on hand immediately to start working on the break, the expert engineers needed for this type of incident could not be reached until around 6 a.m., said Assistant City Manager Sharon Hayes.
- Pipe failure will cause water outage
- More Breaking News Headlines
-
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
