Church Janitor Charged in Murder of Priest

Prosecutor: Man Stabbed Rev. Hinds Multiple Times after the Pair Argued

(AP)  Last updated at 11:10 p.m. EDT

uthorities investigating the slaying 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 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 announcement of Feliciano's arrest was met with shock and tears at Saturday evening Mass, a double blow to the church community where the priest had served for six years and the janitor had worked for 17.

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, 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 for Hinds 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, which runs from kindergarten through eighth grade, 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.

The slaying rocked the community of about 10,000 residents located 25 miles west of New York City. It was the first violent death in tiny, affluent Chatham since a 1990 manslaughter case.

Parishioner Michael Marotta, 47, said he would not have hesitated to leave his three children in the care of either Hinds or Feliciano, whom he described as caring, quiet, hardworking men. Marotta, whose 10-year-old son is enrolled at St. Patrick's School, said Feliciano lived in a home next to the church until a few years ago.

"Everyone loses in this," said Marotta, who lives down the street from the church. "The church, the broader Chatham community and the Hinds and Feliciano families. It's disheartening."

Earlier Saturday, parishioners had climbed over knee-high crime scene tape that was strung near the church, school and parking lots to attend a morning Mass. They remembered the pastor they called "Father Ed," as warm, outgoing and very community-oriented.

Police and church officials guided about 300 parishioners through a light drizzle into the school gym next to the church. Once inside, many wiped away tears as church leaders said Hinds would have wanted parishioners to go on and find strength in their faith.

"We're strong and we're hope-filled, and we know we'll get through this. We have each other, we have Christ, and we're not afraid," the Rev. Owen Moran told the Star-Ledger of Newark afterward. "The idea of Father Ed's life is that he was planting seeds here in this parish for six years. And now the seeds must grow and continue the mission of Christ in this world."

The parish's 5 p.m. Saturday Mass began about the same time Bianchi announced the arrest at the county administration building in Morristown, about 20 minutes away.

Parishioner Juliette Peros told the newspaper an announcement about the arrest was made near the end of the Saturday night service and came as a shock to those in attendance.

Peros said several people were crying and that a woman seated behind her yelled "Jose! No, Jose!" when the announcement was made.

Hinds, who was born in nearby Morristown, had been pastor at the parish since 2003, after serving at St. Michael Church in Netcong and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Boonton. He was ordained in 1974.

Following an early stint at St. Patrick's, he went on to become the vice chancellor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson and secretary to the bishop from 1978 to 1985.

Joe Korkuch is not a member of St. Patrick's parish, but said he spoke with Hinds almost every night as the priest walked his dog, a cocker spaniel named Copper, through the neighborhood.

"It's so sad." said parishioner Pat Patello, 52. "I don't think this town will ever get over this."

[RCC_Soldaten]

What is the purpose of comments on this story?

[winslowe1]

One may well ask the purpose of your comment.

[hungry1968-16]

People are killed everyday.

Why is this one getting so much attention?

[crazydonna49]

i don't think it should mater what hes belief were he was a human being and a priest who helped a lot of people. no matter what you believe in. i hope god bless this church and helps them though this i'm sure he will be missed dearly. as for me i believe in god and all he can do for us

[jechrist]

the catholic church does not "hate" jews and gays but merely says the doctrine of some beleifs in the jewish tradition is wrong and to live a homosexual life is against Gods teaching, and also in the case of gays, it teaches " hate the sin, not the sinner". the catholic church also teaches...tolerance, forgivness, love one another and your enemies. {another of God's commandments..."thou shalt not kill"}. these are what the church teaches. so i hope that since "that" is what it really teaches that is what will really come around, since , as you say "it comes back to you". oh informed1 if "it comes back to you"...you must be waiting for a truck load yourself for spewing out all this mis-information.

[hungry1968-16]

jechrist: the christian god never said ANYTHING anti-homosexual, except in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, and according to those passages, 95% of ALL people will not "inherit the kingdom of god".

That passage says that fornicators, (and gays), shall not inherit the kingdom of god. I don't know of ANY people that wait until they're married to have sex, which means that NONE of them will be allowed in heaven. So do you REALLY think that pre-marital sex is on the same "immorality level" as gay sex?

[stuart-johns2]

hungry1968-16,

Actually hungry, that's not entirely true. Romans 1:23-27 specifically addresses the issue of homosexuality and God's view of it.

And in the reference you cited, 1 Cor.6:9-11, there is hope for the homosexual according to God's words. It says in verse eleven, "And such WERE some of you...."

As far as the 95% of the people not inheriting the Kingdom of God, you're probably right. God says the road to heaven is narrow and few there be that are on it. But the path that leads to destruction is broad and many are on that road, especially those that are decieved and call evil good and good evil.

[informedone1]

Thank you for your comment jechrist. I stand corrected. I don't want to "spew..misinformation," so let me clarify other ways the Church shows its love and tolerance: 1. by imprisoning Galileo for life for spewing the misinformation that the sun, and not the Earth, is the center of the solar system, 2. by having the Inquisition torture people to death to cure them of heresy, 3. by helping the Nazis identify and round up Jews for the Holocaust, and then help war criminals flee to other countries, 4. by transferring known pedophile priests from parish to parish so they could continue molesting and traumatizing innocent children, then declaring bankruptcy so the victims can't collect on judgments, 5. by preaching that gays shouldn't be allowed to adopt, marry, minister, teach, show public affection, or live their lives as they see fit, 6. by preaching against the use of condoms in countries where hiv infection is rampant, and thereby contributing to the spread of the disease... Want some more examples of the Church's "tolerance, forgiveness, and love," or is that enough for you? I should also clear up some other misconceptions people may have: 1. Al-Qaida really loves Americans by killing them until they convert to Islam, 2. slave owners actually loved their slaves by providing them with food, shelter, and Christianity, and 3. the Taliban actually love women by keeping them from being educated, not allowed to work, and not allowed to leave their house with the permission and companionship of a male. You should really start to learn the difference between what the Church "says" it's trying to preach, and the actual affect that preaching has on the lives of people.

[informedone1]

No one deserves to die, but no offense, you reap what you sow. The Catholic Church constantly preaches hatred, bigotry, and intolerance, especially against homosexuals and Jews. How many gays have been persecuted, discriminated against, oppressed, jailed, tortured, and murdered because of the constant spewing of hate by the Church? And when you preach that kind of stuff, it comes back to you.

[bobnjersey]

["We're strong and we're hope-filled, and we know we'll get through this. We have each other, we have Christ, and we're not afraid," the Rev. Owen Moran told the Star-Ledger of Newark afterward. "The idea of Father Ed's life is that he was planting seeds here in this parish for six years. And now the seeds must grow and continue the mission of Christ in this world." ]

wow ... i admire the conviction to the belief ... but it's just so absurd to see complete irrationality like this.

no doubt this priest was a value to all who he was in contact with ... he made a difference in the community ... he brought compassion and hope.

so ... why did god allow an apparently enraged janitor hack the priest to death with a kitchen knife? allegedly there's three entities that could have intervened ... the father ... the son ... and the holy ghost!

anyone?

[ubrew12]

bobnjersey said: "it's just so absurd to see complete irrationality like this... why did god allow [this] death?"

For someone who 'sees' irrationality in some places, you seem sadly incapable of seeing it in others. To me, 'God' is the attempt to make the irrational rational. You should be more forgiving of that attempt, even though it seems too often merely to be moving the definition from one place to another.

[bobnjersey]

[For someone who 'sees' irrationality in some places, you seem sadly incapable of seeing it in others. To me, 'God' is the attempt to make the irrational rational. You should be more forgiving of that attempt, even though it seems too often merely to be moving the definition from one place to another. ]

i expected as much. so where is it that i don't see irrationality? be specific. i don't expect you'll be able to respond to an actual argument ... just 'being sad for me' is much easier. maybe you can pray for me.

i believe i stated 'i admire the conviction' ... did you miss that part? of course you did.

any chance you can explain the rationality of the following? or should i just leave that one to god? does belief in god explain why god allows that which god creates to be destroyed in this way ... maybe by god? there's no expectation of any form of a lucid response.

"so ... why did god allow an apparently enraged janitor to hack the priest to death with a kitchen knife? allegedly there's three entities that could have intervened ... the father ... the son ... and the holy ghost! "

[displeased]

I have seen no rationality in god's ways. Part of the reason I became a non-believer. Your god can punish me if it wants, but that would be irrational.

[John_Merritt]

Hi Bob:

"so ... why did god allow an apparently enraged janitor hack the priest to death with a kitchen knife? allegedly there's three entities that could have intervened ... the father ... the son ... and the holy ghost!"

I understand how some people perceive God intervening in the dealings of man on man relationships. I don't how many people believe that sin begets sin in one way or another. For example: A person steals something from you or calls you a bad name. The victim or the oppressed lashes back against the perpetrator. Who committed the greater crime?

When sin came into this world it had/has to run its course in nature. I believe the reason why God, the Son or the Holy Spirit does not intervene in your above thesis; is because it has to be allowed. Otherwise men would not learn the product (end result) of their conduct or behaviors. That is a cruel lesson to learn, but invaluable for others who might view this destructive action on the part of one person against another. Have a great day Bob.

[gnimelf1968]

Because God at this point in time does not rule the earth, the devil does. When Christ returns the devil will be banished and there will be no more pain and suffering. People blame God for things that are not his fault. He wants people to come to him and not blame him. He's finding who the true believers are. The same people who blame him for their pain are not thankful when things are going well. When my live is awful I don't blame God, I know who's fault my suffering is caused by and I thank God for the good in my life and thank him for letting the bad not defeat me.

[Newster1]

Yawn, and another right wing bites the big one, guess he either jumped into bajebu's lap or he found out there is none.

bada BINNGGGGGGGG

[otterknow]

These are some pretty lame comments..he has an Italian last name, so probably Argentinian...and a homosexual comment for a priest's murder? Can we please get some relevant thought? Didn't know FOX owned this network? That crafty Rupert..

[stuart-johns2]

Yeah you're right. Did'nt mean to disrespect the dead. It's just we each were greiving in our own special way, I guess.

[ruger_223]

by otterknow October 24, 2009 9:40 PM EDT
If you have a problem with this site, why do you bring Fox into it? Is that all you got? Let me guess: you are liberal, you're a fan of Obama, and you watch MSNBC. Ok, I understand now.

[bobnjersey]

[If you have a problem with this site, why do you bring Fox into it? Is that all you got? Let me guess: you are liberal, you're a fan of Obama, and you watch MSNBC. Ok, I understand now. ]

wow ... did he hit your 'fox nerve'. let me guess ... you're an authoritarian follower ... you voted for bush twice ... you never saw any problem w/ any of his policies ... believe that 'the market' will take care of everything ... you've made all your own opportunties happen all by yourself ... think we've won in iraq ... a devout christian ... and you're now an independent.

[otterknow]

Thanks for your assumption Roger...but when we assume we make a what out of you and me? I actually can't stand MSNBC...you can't make a rational decision, nor can you form a quality opinion, if you simply side with either side. I take information from any side, as long as it's factual. And I do my own research...always. I even watch FOX on occasion, but CNN is the closest to accurate for me..but frankly, they are all pretty bad. Oh, and no, I didn't vote for Bush..in case you were wondering. I don't want a drinking buddy in office who gets briefed with intelligence reports laden with bible scripture. And Plain made it too frightening to even consider McCain...Thanks for taking us all off topic though.

[winslowe1]

Lover's spat.

[missme4]

Seeing alot of murder news featuring killers with Hispanic names lately.

[paca54]

Really? this must be a big change from news featuring killers with "anglo" names.

[stuart-johns2]

Jose Feliciano?? What...he stab him with his guitar?

[ToolMangler1]

Nice try!!
I don't think that is that 'Jose'. LOL