CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Kassceen Weaver was found guilty of all charges in connection to the death of his son, Adon Weaver, Thursday night.
A jury convened for three hours before convicting the former University of Richmond basketball star of homicide, concealing a dead body and child abuse on Thursday, July 13. The trial lasted four days.
Kassceen Weaver was arrested after investigators found his son’s remains in a freezer back in 2021 — though Adon was killed in October of 2018, according to investigators.
On the final day of the trial, the defense presented their case, but Kassceen Weaver ultimately decided not to take the stand.
Because Kassceen Weaver chose not to testify, the defense’s case rested primarily on one witness — a medical expert who believed Adon’s cause of death should have been labeled “undetermined.”
An autopsy report presented as evidence indicted Adon had died from blunt force trauma and found two short fractures on the child’s skull and fractured ribs. The defense’s witness said these types of fractures are generally not lethal. These particular fractures appeared to be healing at the time of his death, suggesting the industry occurred prior to Adon’s death.
According to the medical expert called by the defense, examiners did not have enough information to automatically assume these fractures damaged his brain and caused Adon’s death. In order to make such a determination, examiners would have needed to conduct a more thorough examination of his brain matter. They were unable to do so due to extensive decomposition that occurred while his remains were frozen in the Weavers’ freezer.
According to previous testimony from Adon’s mother, Dina Weaver, Kassceen Weaver had a history of spanking or hitting their child with a belt. Dina said that on the night of Adon’s death, a panicked and crying Kassceen Weaver called her and told her their son was not breathing. This was not the first time something like this had happened. Adon had a series of health problems and, according to his mother, was developmentally delayed –– something she said frustrated her estranged husband. Nine days before Adon’s death, he had stopped breathing and Dina had attempted CPR on him. He was not taken to the hospital.
On the day of his death, when he stopped breathing again, Dina said Kassceen also attempted CPR. However, just as in the previous incident, he did not call for professional medical help.
The prosecution presented Kassceen Weaver’s inaction in their arguments. The defense responded by saying Kassceen Weaver was just doing the same thing he had seen his wife do during the previous incident.
Two days earlier in trial, Dina Weaver testified that she had begged Kassceen Weaver to take Adon to the hospital that night — to which he refused. According to Dina Weaver, he said he was afraid hospital staff would see the child’s bruises and take away their oldest son.
Finally, the defense brought up what they called the “elephant in the room” — both Kassceen and Dina Weaver preserved Adon’s body in the freezer and lived in that home for more than two years without reporting his death.
They asked that the jury remember Kassceen Weaver was Adon’s primary caretaker.
Dina Weaver was previously charged in connection with Adon’s death — but those charges were dropped last year, in October 2022. According to the Chesterfield County’s Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney, they felt Kassceen Weaver was responsible for what happened to Adon. Her attorney also said Dina Weaver was the victim of Kassceen Weaver’s abuse.
Kassceen Weaver is now being held without bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 26.
This is a developing story. Stay with 8News for updates.
