A former church janitor has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2009 stabbing death of a beloved New Jersey priest.
Jose Feliciano declined to speak before a judge sentenced him Friday.
Prosecutors said Feliciano stabbed the Rev. Edward Hinds as Hinds was brewing a cup of coffee in the rectory kitchen of St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Chatham. They say the priest fired Feliciano after discovering the janitor had an outstanding arrest warrant for sexually touching a child.
Feliciano never denied stabbing the 61-year-old priest to death but said he acted in a fit of rage. He claimed the priest demanded sex to keep quiet about the warrant. Testimony undermined his claim.
The jury in December found him guilty of numerous charges, including murder.
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