"Too fat to kill" Defense Doesn't Hold Up in New Jersey Court

By DAVID PORTER

Associated Press Writer

HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey jury has rejected a Florida man's claims that he was too fat to kill his former son-in-law and has convicted him of murder.

The jury of eight women and four men issued its verdict against Edward Ates on Friday, its second day of deliberations after a trial that lasted more than a month.

Ates said he didn't have the energy to accurately shoot his former son-in-law and make a quick getaway to Louisiana.

The 62-year-old was 285 pounds when Paul Duncsak was killed in 2006.

Prosecutors said Ates drove from Florida to Duncsak's home in New Jersey, climbed a staircase and shot the 40-year-old.

The victim and Ates' daughter were involved in a bitter custody dispute after their divorce.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)