From Newsday’s Christina Armario.
The son of former Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson has entered into a “cooperation agreement” to testify against a friend who allegedly slashed his sleeping stepfather to death with a samurai sword in Hauppauge.
Troy Harrelson has agreed to provide testimony, if called upon, in the upcoming trial of Zachary Gibian, who is accused of nearly beheading his stepfather, Scott Nager, 51, in February 2005 as Nager slept on his sofa.
Police say they believe Harrelson picked up Gibian at his family’s Hauppauge home shortly after the killing took place. At a pretrial hearing in March, Det. Alfred Ciccotto testified that Troy Harrelson drove his friend to a trash bin, where Gibian disposed of the murder weapon.
Jury selection in the case begins Oct. 4, Clifford said. Nager, a former New York City police officer, was sleeping on a couch when his stepson allegedly came up from behind and struck him with the sword. Nager woke up, and Gibian nearly decapitated him, prosecutors said.
Gibian’s attorney has described his client as having been taunted and threatened repeatedly by his stepfather, who kept a large collection of handguns, grenades and swords, including the murder weapon, in his home.
Bud Harrelson (above), who played with the Mets for 13 seasons and went on to manage the team, now is co-owner of the minor-league Long Island Ducks, of Central Islip. He could not be reached yesterday. Troy Harrelson’s lawyer, Paul Gianelli, did not return calls.
While this is obviously a tough time for Harrelson, at least he can rest easy knowing that his mistakes as a parent aren’t even close to the worst of any former Mets manager.
NOW IT SEEMS YOU ONLY HAVE TO BE RELATED TO A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE TO GET AWAY WITH MURDRER IN THIS COUNTRY. HIS FRIEND KILLS HIS DAD, THE TWO OF THEM DISPOSE OF THE MURDER WEAPON, GET HIGH, AND THEN GO OUT ON A DATE !! DOES ANYONE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS ???THIS KID IS A BAD EGG. HE COULDN’T EVEN KEEP HIS NOSE CLEAN TILL THE TRIAL. BUSTED FOR DRUGS AGAIN. WAKE UP BUD !!!!! YOUR SON HAS A PROBLEM.!!! GETTING HIM OFF THE HOOK TIME AFTER TIME ISN’T HELPING HIM. THINGS WILL ONLY GET WORSE FOR YOU IF YOU DON’T STOP THIS KID NOW.
Bud may have raised a killer but I bet the kid can type an entire sentence without using all caps.
Today I had to to serve jury duty. I was very surprised when I found out that the young man sitting in front of me, Zachary Gibion was up for 2nd degree murder. Only later did I find out about the connection with Bud Harrelson’s son Troy. I think before we condem either boy we really need to know the facts. As for Zachary Gibion – I would really like to hear the true facts about what led him to this grusome crime. Drugs or no drugs something horrible must have been going on behind closed doors for a 17 year old boy to go to such extremes. As for Troy Harrelson, Zachary’s best friend, he probobly felt the need to help out his good friend. Remember theese boys were just 17 years old when this happened. unfortunately I was unable to continue jury service for personal reasons but I anxiously await the outcome of this trial.
No, they were 18. Old enough to know better. Old enough and educated enough to seek help if help was needed. I don’t think murder is the solution or answer to anything. If you think drugs can’t lead to something like this you better think again.
You people dont know anything about this story as a close friend of Zachs I would suggest that you look alittle deeper in to the situation and look at all the evidence that you have no idea about. DO you know Scott had a million dollar life insurance policy and then after his death laura nager got that money and spent it all on different things. You have no idea who these people are and could never make an assumpition about anything.. SO say stuff like you have to know a famous person to get out of trouble that just happens to be the situation. WHat would you do if your best friend called you and this happened think about it. These are kids that were in high school at happuage nothing happens here and when it does you get introuble from the principle nothing big and then all of a sudden reality hits and you realize this is serious there s no detention or suspension real jail you guys just have no idea of what really is going on here. so dont judge anything
Hi guys! I feel this man did a bad thing! I think its bad and is not nice! And you know what else? He dissapoints me! Not only is he a murderer, or has drugs on him, but even worse, He’s just rude!
Reading all these comments is making me kind of sick..none of you know tj or zach and dont have a clue about the situation. Growing up in hauppauge, I know better than anyone it is hard to stay away from drugs. Hauppauge isnt called “the pharmacy” for nothing…I would never justify doing drugs, but in Hauppauge it almost isnt drugs anymore..its just something to do on a friday or saturday night. Sure, some get more carried away with it than others, but it’s hard to stay away from. Whether youre “hitting the slopes for the weekend” which really means doing coke, or “getting a bag bag” which means getting heroin or oxycontin, somehow doing drugs has become funny in some way. Tj and zach werent raging drug addicts, they were two hauppauge kids with nothing better to do. Tj is an amazing person and i wish everyone would get to see that. Zach was too…regardless of what happens, hauppauge will never think of zach as the monster they are portraying him to be in the media. If Zach really did do it, I would be shocked. But I can only imagine what you have to be going through to get to that point. The abuse he must have taken during that time if he did do it probably hurts a lot more than anything that is going on now. And as for Tj- if my best friend called me and asked me to come over I would go without asking questions as well, and if when i got there he walked out of the house holding a black garbage bag and asked me to take him to hide the evidence i dont think id be able to say no either–if someone holding a samurai sword asked you to do something, would you?…Just please think about it before judging-it’s a horrible situation, but we love you guys…
As a friend of both TJ and Zach and former girlfriend, i think all of you should know that you are wrong about everything!! Yes, they did a horrible thing and could have gone about it a different way but no one has any room to talk bad about either one of them. They are paying for what they did and neither one of them does not regret what happened and believe that there was other options. They did not think and no one know what was going on in Zach’s house and no one can judge him or what his actions prior and after the murder were. As for Tj, if my best friend called and asked me to pick her up, i would have done the same thing and im sure most people would agree. He did not expect it to go as far as it did. So to TC ( whoever the person commenting is) you will be punished in life for judging them and what happened to them. Karma comes back around and you will be sorry for what you have said about them. Along with this, I want it to be known that Zach and Tj are both great kids and if Zach did it, I would be shocked !!!! The both of them were amazing kids and about the drugs… yes they made a mistake but that is no reason to judge or discriminate against them ! Tj has a drug problem which is also a disease and TC ( jerk !!) I hope one day in life, you will experience the pain that both of them are going through. You have a set of balls and I wish you understood how nice TJ and Zach are, please think about that you said and realize that you don’t know all the facts and you have no idea what was going on. I love you Teej and Zach !!
I KNOW LAURA AND ZACH FOR MANY YEARS
I WOULD BET MY LIFE, LAURA DID IT!!!!
SHE IS LETTING HER SON TAKE THE FALL.
HE IS A GOOD KID.SHE WILL ROT IN HELL!
TJ and Bud Harrelson are my Moms cousins. Most of you are wrong about them, they are very nice people. These guys will for ever be in our thoughts and prayers
Laura had sex with all of Zach’s friends after the incident, she did not kill him, when Zach killed his father, word was amongst the the group was that TJ gave him a ride to stash the weapon. In return which is like TJ would be to accept drugs in return. The reality of the matter is Zach’s father took away his 300-C vehicle due to poor behavior in which Gibian walked in the room and “wacked” him. My barber’s used to cut his hair which was a meer $100 per cut, due to the circumstances. My ex-barber’s smoked marijuana and would with gibian and friend’s. The mother bought some of her young boyfriends from the local high school in which Gibian attended, very nice vehicle’s. She recieved a lump sum and was off the hook with her husband according to several people. Zach was guilty from the day he did it, he thought he was unbreakable with his brand new car, and girlfriend 3 grades below him with DD breasts and blonde hair, non the less he was a drug addict, As far as TJ, he has better backing to not do something like that. Which is why he was also not considered part.