Grand jury indicts Weber

Kim Smith

Wednesday, May 15, 2002 | 11:04 a.m.

A Clark County grand jury has returned an 18-count indictment against a Las Vegas man who spent more than three weeks on the run from police after his girlfriend and her teenage son were found slain in their home.

After the indictment was unsealed this morning, Chief District Judge Mark Gibbons ordered that Timmy "T.J." Weber remain in the Clark County Detention Center without bail.

Weber, 28, will be arraigned May 22 by District Judge Joseph Bonaventure.

In addition to facing two counts of murder with use of a deadly weapon in the April 4 deaths of Kim and Anthony Gautier, Weber faces nine sex-related charges pertaining to Gautier's 14-year-old daughter.

Weber also was indicted on two attempted murder charges in the attack on Gautier's 17-year-old son, Chris, and a teacher 10 days later when they went to the home to pick up clothes for the Gautiers' funeral.

The seven-time felon made national news after the case appeared twice on the television show "America's Most Wanted" during the 24 days Weber was on the lam.

Earlier this week Weber's defense attorneys tried unsuccessfully to force the case to another county's grand jury. They argued Clark County's grand jurors would be influenced by the almost daily news coverage of the case.

Gibbons denied that motion and another one that would have allowed the defense attorneys to interview the grand jurors about possible bias before they heard the evidence.

The Clark County district attorney's office has announced that death penalty probably will be sought for Weber if he is convicted of first-degree murder. They cite Weber's multiple property crime convictions as one factor that will be taken into consideration when making that decision.

According to police, Chris Gautier found his sister tied up in her bedroom on the afternoon of April 4, and he and a friend flagged down a police officer.

When police went into the house, they found Anthony Gautier lying face down on a mattress with his arms duct-taped behind his back. Two dumbbell weights were on the 15-year-old's back, and a black plastic bag covered his head.