Church Janitor Charged in Slaying of NJ Priest
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On Friday, the state Supreme Court decided endorsed the release of records that detail sexual abuse allegations by priests in the Diocese of Bridgeport, a case that could provide an embarrassing footnote to the career of recently retired New York Cardinal Edward Egan.
Authorities investigating the stabbing death of a priest arrested the church janitor Saturday, alleging he stabbed the cleric 32 times with a kitchen knife after arguing with him in the rectory.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi said that 64-year-old Jose Feliciano was charged in the murder of the Rev. Ed Hinds, whose body was found Friday in the rectory kitchen of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Chatham.
The pair got into an argument on Thursday evening, and it was during the altercation that Feliciano grabbed a knife and stabbed the 61-year-old Hinds multiple times, Bianchi said.
Feliciano, who also faces weapons charges, had worked at the church for 17 years. He was arrested Saturday.
Bianchi said investigators found the priest's cell phone, bloody clothing and bloody towels at Feliciano's home in Easton, Pa., about 45 miles west of Chatham.
Bianchi said Feliciano was one of two people who looked forHinds after the priest failed to show up for 8 a.m. mass Friday. The pair found the body, and Bianchi said Feliciano was performing CPR on Hinds when officers arrived and his halfhearted attempts struck them as suspicious.
Bianchi said Feliciano's son graduated from the church's school and his daughter is a student there.
The priest, dressed in his clerical robes, had wounds on his upper torso, the back of his body and his head that were created by a kitchen knife, officials said. Hinds also had defensive wounds on his hands and face, Bianchi said. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was severe trauma.
Authorities investigating the stabbing death of a priest arrested the church janitor Saturday, alleging he stabbed the cleric 32 times with a kitchen knife after arguing with him in the rectory.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi said that 64-year-old Jose Feliciano was charged in the murder of the Rev. Ed Hinds, whose body was found Friday in the rectory kitchen of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Chatham.
The pair got into an argument on Thursday evening, and it was during the altercation that Feliciano grabbed a knife and stabbed the 61-year-old Hinds multiple times, Bianchi said.
Feliciano, who also faces weapons charges, had worked at the church for 17 years. He was arrested Saturday.
Bianchi said investigators found the priest's cell phone, bloody clothing and bloody towels at Feliciano's home in Easton, Pa., about 45 miles west of Chatham.
Bianchi said Feliciano was one of two people who looked forHinds after the priest failed to show up for 8 a.m. mass Friday. The pair found the body, and Bianchi said Feliciano was performing CPR on Hinds when officers arrived and his halfhearted attempts struck them as suspicious.
Bianchi said Feliciano's son graduated from the church's school and his daughter is a student there.
The priest, dressed in his clerical robes, had wounds on his upper torso, the back of his body and his head that were created by a kitchen knife, officials said. Hinds also had defensive wounds on his hands and face, Bianchi said. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was severe trauma.
Copyright Associated Press
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