Missed Connections

Stealing Dogs For Jeebus

This Is Why GOP Rep. Chris "Craigslist" Lee Resigned From Office In Such A Hurry

Once again, Gawker has the scoop:

Lee's sudden exit took many people by surprise. Hadn't other members of Congress admitted to worse than an unconsummated, PG-13 flirtation and managed to stay in office? It turns out Lee may have had good reason to step out of the spotlight so quickly: It wasn't just women that the Craigslist Congressman was hunting for on the Internet. In the past two weeks, two D.C.-area transgender women contacted us, each with a separate story about exchanging emails with the ex-congressman. One sent us an ad that Lee allegedly posted on Craigslist in search of trans women; the other sent us a never-before-seen photo that she says Lee sent her after they started chatting by email. Taken together, they present a possible explanation to those who have wondered why such a tame "sex scandal" forced Lee's hand so quickly.

Gawker also has some evidence that at least one of the trans women Lee pursued is a prostitute.

Missed Connections

NEW YORK CITY: Jury May Be Deadlocked In Craigslist Slaying Of Gay Reporter

Troubling news from the trial of confessed killer of gay ABC newsman George Weber.

Jurors in the Brooklyn murder trial of the teenager accused in the sex-charged stabbing death of WABC newsman George Weber yesterday told the judge they were deadlocked but will return today for further deliberations. In the middle of their second day of deliberations, the jurors sent out their note telling Judge Neil Firetog for the second time that they were having difficulties. Earlier yesterday the jury asked Firetog a second time to explain "reasonable doubt." John Katehis, 18, is charged with stabbing Weber, 47, more than 50 times in the March 2009 slaying.

The then 16 year-old Katehis was hired on Craigslist for an S/M "smothering" scene with Weber. Defense attorneys have painted the victim as a sexual predator, despite the confession and despite ample evidence of the killer's violent tendencies, including internet postings in which he brandished his extensive collection of knives and swords.

UPDATE: A mistrial HAS been declared due to one holdout juror who would not budge on the issue of intent. As in Katehis didn't INTEND to keep stabbing his bound victim 50 times? Prosecutors have vowed to try him again. Meanwhile, he gets a fucking bail hearing next week.

NYC: Trial Begins In Craigslist Murder Of Gay ABC Newsman George Weber

Last year 16 year-old John Katehis brutally stabbed to death gay ABC newsman George Weber after the pair hooked up via a Craiglist hooker ad. Weber allegedly hired the teen to "smother" him in an S/M scene. After his arrest, the killer claimed that he had stabbed Weber over 50 times in self-defense. Katehis' trial began in New York City this week where his lawyers painted the victim as a sexual predator. Duncan Osborne reports at Gay City News:

By inviting the 16-year-old Katehis to his home for a sexual act, Weber “was trying to do something that was 1,000 percent wrong, immoral, and illegal,” said Jeffery T. Schwartz, Katehis’ attorney, in his opening statement. The age of consent in New York is 17. “Although he can be tried as an adult, under no circumstances can he consent to a sexual act,” Schwartz said. “He cannot consent to sex, any type of sexual act, with an adult male.” In the defense telling of this incident, Katehis was an innocent who was plied with alcohol and “what John believed was cocaine,” before being asked to engage in a behavior that made him uncomfortable. After having his feet bound, the older man “pointed” a knife at Katehis and the younger man panicked. The wound that cut Weber’s jugular vein was inflicted as the two men fought over the knife. Katehis received a deep wound to his hand that was bleeding profusely during that fight. “The bottom line is a knife was introduced not by John Katehis, but by George Weber,” Schwartz said.

Shortly after Weber's body was discovered, internet sleuths found Katehis' MySpace profile in which he posed with his collection of swords and knives and boasted:

I like to do crazy and wild things.im like an adrenaline junkie, I'm always looking for a big thrill, I'm a big risk taker and like to live life on the edge. I am an Extremist, an Anarchist, and a Sadomasochist. As long as you show respect for me i will show respect for you, if you disrespect me, then i will fucking break your neck.

The subject line in Katehis' original Craigslist ad read: "I blow for cash M4M." After Katahis' arrest, anti-gay and right-wing blogs lit up with claims that "Weber got what he deserved." The now 18 year-old Katehis is being tried as an adult. Read Duncan Osborne's full report from the trial.

Craigslist Pulls Hooker Ads

Following a complaint filed by seventeen state Attorneys General last week, Craigslist has pulled its Adult Services section.

Craigslist did not announce the move and its blog was not updated as of Saturday morning. Craigslist did not immediately respond to email and voice mail messages seeking comment. The change comes as the service faces growing pressure in the U.S. over sex services advertised on its classifieds network, as well as allegations that it abets in human sex trafficking. The stakes were raised again last week, when the company received a letter from 17 state attorneys general demanding it immediately shut down its adult services listing, citing the case of two girls who said last month that they were trafficked for sex through the site. If Craigslist has bowed to public pressure that would signal a major shift in the company’s strategy. According the AIM Group, Craigslist’s adult services section accounts for 30 percent of its overall revenue — a projected $36.6 million in 2010 out of $122 million. More than half the company’s revenue comes from recruitment advertising and about 17 percent (almost $21 million) comes from apartment ads in New York City, the AIM Group estimates.

Seventeen Attorneys General Demand That Craigslist Remove Its Hooker Ads

Saying that the site is enabling prostitution and child trafficking, a coalition of 17 state Attorneys General are demanding that Craigslist remove its adult services section.

"Only Craigslist has the power to stop these ads before they are even published," Kansas attorney general Steve Six said in a statement. "Sadly, they are completely unwilling to do so." The joint letter acknowledged Craigslist faces the prospect of losing revenue if it were to remove the adult services section. "No amount of money, however, can justify the scourge of illegal prostitution and the suffering of the women and children who will continue to be victimized, in the market and trafficking provided by Craigslist," the letter said. Craigslist supports states' efforts to stop illegal exploitation, spokeswoman Susan MacTavish Best said in a statement that did not indicate whether the website plans to get rid of its adult services section. "We hope to work closely with them, as we are with experts at nonprofits and in law enforcement, to prevent misuse of our site in facilitation of trafficking," she said. Some encounters set up through Craigslist have ended in violence and even death, authorities have said.

The adult services section of Craigslist is one of the few areas of the site which charges for postings.

All In The Family On Craigslist

This week's Dear Prudence advice column in Slate deals with a bisexual married man who says his own (also opposite-married) father-in-law tried to hook-up with him on Craigslist. His letter reads, in part:

The issue is, I am bi-sexual and have known so for quite some time. My quandary is, about a month ago I responded to a posting on Craigslist. It was from an older gentleman who, like myself, is bi and was looking for some discreet fun. In responding to the ad, I sent a faceless/headless picture of myself without a shirt on. He responded back to me with some pictures that were a bit more graphic and a phone number. Upon seeing the number, I became immediately undone. It was the cell phone number of my wife's dad—my father-in-law! Once I realized it was him, I never responded back to him. I received several e-mails subsequently asking me what was going on and if I was still interested. However, not only did he e-mail me from his personal e-mail address, stupidly, he used the joint one with my mother-in-law. Fast-forward a few weeks. My mother-in-law was checking e-mail and somehow found the exchange between my father-in-law and myself. Obviously, and justifiably, she has become hysterical. She found the e-mail that I sent to him (from an anonymous e-mail address) that had my picture. It gets worse; she told my wife and her sister and brother, and they are trying to figure out who this guy is who "seduced" dad.

Some of the column's commenters are calling BS on the entire letter, but the discussion on bisexuality and fidelity is worthwhile.

Pride Parade Pass Out

Lots more Pride-related Missed Connections at This Is FYF.

(Tipped by JMG reader Foxy)

Beat It With A Real JO-Bro

This Craigslist ad comes via JMG staff photographer Dr. Jeff, who asks: "Real? Not real? Who cares, it's hilarious. Bedazzler!" We concur.

Missed Connections

Jason Clark is running for governor of Colorado. And since he doesn't have a running mate, he's put an ad on Craigslist.

Clark, who currently serves as the president of the Aurora, CO investment firm Clark Brothers, forked over $25 for a to-the-point listing on the website, calling on average Coloradans to apply for the job, via the standard anonymous Craigslist email address. "There's a complete and total disconnect between politics and the people," Clark told TPM. "We're looking for fresh thinkers, new ideas, and new leadership. We want to invite everyone in."

Clark says he's gotten over 200 applicants, but none have been suitable.

California Man Busted For Preying On Gay Men Via Craigslist

California prosecutors have arrested a man they dubbed "the gay bandit" after he allegedly robbed numerous gay men he met through the M4M section on Craigslist.

A convicted felon accused of targeting gay men who were looking for dates online was charged with kidnapping, robbery, carjacking and other crimes in Superior Court Monday. Angel Pena Ayala, 24, who was on parole for a previous carjacking conviction, was arrested Friday and pleaded not guilty Monday in Torrance Superior Court, said Los Angeles County district attorney's officials. He was charged with eight felony counts, including the allegation that the crimes were committed for a street gang.

Hermosa Beach police said Ayala placed an online ad on Craigslist.org in the personals section and met his victim at the man's home in Hermosa Beach in March. Authorities accused him of pulling a handgun on the man and ordering him to put his TV, computer and camera into his car. Ayala is accused of ordering the victim to drive to a nearby ATM and forced him to withdraw money. Ayala released the victim in El Segundo and drove off in the man's car, which was found abandoned in Los Angeles, said Sgt. Robert Higgins. Investigators identified Ayala through fingerprints from the recovered vehicle. He is also charged with committing a similar crime in West Hollywood four days earlier. Alaya told investigators he committed as many as three crimes a night, said Hermosa Beach police and prosecutors.

Police suspect that many victims have not come forward due to the sexual angle of the crimes.