Putnam County resident Louis Weber IV, of Philipstown, pleaded guilty in August to manslaughter and arson for killing his father, Louis Weber Jr., who was 72 years old at the time, in November 2019.
On Wednesday, Nov. 10, Weber was sentenced to 20 years in prison on the manslaughter charge and up to nine years on the arson charge. He was also sentenced to five years of post-release supervision.
Putnam County District Attorney Robert Tendy said that on Nov. 4, 2019, first responders were dispatched to a Second Street home in Philipstown, where there was a home that went up in flames.
After putting out the fire, Tendy said that first responders found the body of the elder Weber, who had apparently died in the fire.
Further investigation, however, found that Weber Jr. had sustained blunt force injuries and died before the fire. Weber IV admitted that the fire was set intentionally, and an accelerant had been poured on his father’s body prior to setting the fire.
According to Tendy, Weber admitted to killing his father because he believed he was keeping money he received as child support for himself instead of spending it on him.
Weber IV was arrested and charged on Aug. 23, 2020. He pleaded guilty almost a year later to the day on Monday, Aug. 24, pleading under oath that he committed the crimes.
In a statement, Tendy said that he "would like to thank the numerous members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office who worked on this case, specifically Senior Investigator John Kerwick and Investigator Shaun Menton. He would also like to thank Greg Amyot of the New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services.
“This was a thoroughly professional investigation,” he said. “An amazing job by everyone.”
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