Jury finds Hauppauge man guilty in samurai sword slaying trial

A jury has found Zachary Gibian guilty of second-degree murder in the samurai sword slaying of his stepfather.The verdict came after seven days of deliberations. The prosecution successfully convinced

News 12 Staff

Dec 13, 2006, 11:43 PM

Updated 6,480 days ago

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A jury has found Zachary Gibian guilty of second-degree murder in the samurai sword slaying of his stepfather.The verdict came after seven days of deliberations. The prosecution successfully convinced jurors that Gibian, 20, of Hauppauge nearly beheaded Scott Nager, 51, on February 21, 2005. Gibian originally gave police a written and videotaped confession, but later said Laura Nager, his mother, was the real murderer. He testified he was only trying to protect her and that she committed the crime after finding out Nager was sexually abusing her son. The prosecution claimed Gibian was a liar and said he killed Nager because he didn't approve of his discipline and that he was looking to collect on Nager's insurance policy. Friends of Gibian were also called to testify they heard him speak of killing his stepfather. The jury twice sent out notes that it was deadlocked this week before finally reaching a decision. The second note came just four hours before the verdict. Gibian faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison.