Jurors Reach Verdict in Alleged Priest Killer Case

They've been weighing whether Jose Feliciano is guilty of murder or manslaughter.

Jurors at the trial of a janitor accused of killing a New Jersey priest have reached a verdict.

They've been weighing whether Jose Feliciano is guilty of murder or manslaughter
.

Feliciano doesn't deny stabbing the Rev. Edward Hinds to death in the rectory of St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Chatham in 2009.

But the Easton, Pa., resident's lawyer told jurors during closing arguments on Monday that Feliciano was being sexually blackmailed by Hinds and killed in a fit of rage.

The prosecution says the janitor "slaughtered" the priest after Hinds fired him because the priest had discovered Feliciano had an outstanding arrest warrant in Philadelphia from the 1980s for sexually touching a child.

Feliciano testified during the trial.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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