Father who killed toddler son, hid body in freezer, back in Chesterfield court for different case

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The man sentenced in 2023 for killing his son and hiding his body in a freezer was back in court on Wednesday, Dec. 10, but for a different case.   

Kassceen Weaver’s second trial was supposed to begin in Chesterfield County Circuit Court on Wednesday for allegedly abusing his ex-wife, but has been delayed. 

Kassceen was charged with one count of aggravated malicious wounding in 2021 against his ex-wife Dina Weaver. And it won't go to trial now until at least 2026.

The delay comes after Kassceen claimed his court appointed attorney John LaFratta used “racist language" and requested a new attorney. He did not provide any evidence of this language.

LaFratta said the claims are untrue, and that he hasn't "uttered one syllable" of any racist language that Kassceen alleged.  The Commonwealth's Attorney said these claims are a "strategy" for Kassceen to delay the trial.   

He faces the aggravated malicious wounding charge after being found guilty of felony murder, child neglect and concealing a dead body in July of 2023. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison that December.

Experts ruled his three-year-old son, Adon, died in 2018 from “[m]ultiple blunt force injuries," and was hidden in a freezer until police searched the property in May of 2021.  

Dina, Adon's mom, was also charged, but those charges were dropped when the Commonwealth's Attorney ruled she was a victim of Kassceen's abuse.  

In a letter obtained by 8News dated Nov. 13, Kassceen wrote LaFratta that "...it is mutually understood that our relationship has disintegrated into absolutely nothing and cannot be repaired...Similarly, we do not trust one another...Attempting to move forward together under such distrust, dysfunction, and toxicity would be an absolute and utter injustice to me."

There was no mention of the alleged "racist language" in the letter.

Kassceen was represented by Doug Ramseur for his murder trial. Arnold Henderson then represented him for the assault trial, who brought David Lassiter on as co-council. Henderson was suspended for a year by the Virginia State Bar in June of 2024 and Lassiter took over the case. Kassceen then moved to terminate him and was appointed LaFratta. With his most recent move to now terminate LaFratta, Wayne Morgan has now been appointed to the case.

This is Kassceen's fifth attorney.

Judge Phillip Hairston, now retired, was appointed by the Virginia Supreme Court to hear the case after Judge Edward A. Robbins, Jr. recused himself. Court documents say Kassceen wrote a 47-page letter that "contains voluminous allegations against many persons and agencies" that the "[c]ourt is biased against him."

Judge Hairston said this is the last time Kassceen would be appointed an attorney before he loses the right to one.

"This case will go forward," he said in court. "There will not be delay tactics."

Criminal defense attorney Steve Benjamin told 8News that defendants can waive their right to an attorney either by telling a judge so, or through their conduct.

“Often times judges will go ahead and appoint a new attorney even though a good reason for new representation has not been articulated because judges care about not only fair trials and adequate representation, but judge’s also care about a defendant’s perception that they’re being fairly represented," Benjamin said. “There comes a point sometimes when a defendant’s conduct in not cooperating with the attorney or making unfounded requests for new attorneys actually represents a waiver of their right to representation...The court may find that if this new appointment does not work to the defendant’s satisfaction, that the defendant has in fact waived his right to counsel and...the court can order the defendant to proceed with trial.” 

The trial for the assault charge will be rescheduled in January. If found guilty, Kassceen faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. 

The Commonwealth's Attorney said Wednesday was the third time Dina has come from out of state to testify.