The Murder of a Priest

Father Ed Hinds was murdered inside his parish rectory and the church’s long-time janitor, Jose Feliciano, is in custody for that murder.  In the end, this was not a difficult murder to solve.

In broad terms, there are “Organized” murderers and “Disorganized” murderers.  Organized offenders are generally intelligent people who take the time to plan their offenses.  They are less likely to leave physical evidence behind, they bring their weapons with them and take them away when they are done, and they often follow stories in the media about their offenses.  A classic “organized” offender would be the BTK killer, Dennis Rader of Wichita, Kansas.  Dennis carefully stalked his victims, learning their daily habits, and took with him all of the “tools” he would need to overpower, control, and kill his victims.

“Disorganized” offenders are just that – disorganized.  These are people who are of average intelligence and who generally fail to plan their crimes.  In many cases, their offenses are spontaneous and triggered by events in their lives.  They often use a weapon of opportunity and don’t often do a very good job of cleaning up after themselves.  Investigators may find fingerprints, DNA, or even the identification of an offender at the scene of the crime.

It is speculated that, in this case, Mr. Feliciano and Father Hinds were involved in some sort of argument.  Feliciano then picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed Father Hinds at least 32 times in the upper torso and the back.  One news report indicated that Father Hinds may have used his cell phone to call 9-1-1 but was interrupted.  When the 9-1-1 operator called back, Feliciano told the operator that everything was O.K.  Since it was a cell phone, however, the 9-1-1 operator did not have an actual address to send officers to.

Feliciano was one of two people who “found” Father Hind’s body.  He even tried to give Hinds CPR but it was noted that he quit after just a few moments.

The investigators noted the absence of Father Hind’s cell phone at the crime scene.  They were apparently able to trace it to Feliciano’s house.  When they arrived there, they also found bloody clothing and bloody towels in Feliciano’s home.

Mr. Feliciano was obviously a spontaneous, disorganized offender.  In his panic after the murder he made an effort to clean himself up but failed to get rid of the incriminating evidence.  He even tried to make himself appear innocent by helping to “find” Father Hind’s body, a not too uncommon behavior for disorganized offenders.

A neighbor described Feliciano this way: “Jose is a very nice guy who has been around for many years.  He’s the last person I would have suspected.”

In homicide investigations, however, we need to remember those wise words of Inspector Clouseau.  ”I suspect everyone, and I suspect no one.”  No one is ever eliminated as a suspect until a thorough investigation is conducted.

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