The body of Father Rene Wayne Robert, a priest of the Dicoese of St. Augustine, Florida, was discovered in a wooded area of Waynesboro, Georgia.
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St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar made the announcement Monday night in St. Augustine, where Robert, 71, was a senior priest for the Diocese of St. Augustine.
More than a week after Robert disappeared, efforts to find the missing Catholic priest continued, but not at the scale that was seen over the weekend.
Murray also faces a kidnapping charge in Duval County, Shoar said. Jail records did not list a lawyer for him.
Authorities believe he was killed on Sunday, April 12. He was driving Robert’s Toyota Corolla, which the sheriff said Murray had driven back and forth between Florida and SC. Shoar said Father Rene was most likely killed between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. that night.
One hour earlier, Burke County Sheriff Greg Coursey announced the murder charge after an autopsy performed Wednesday morning shows the cause of death was “multiple gunshot wounds”.
The bishop of St. Augustine mourned the death of Father Rene Robert, a priest of the diocese who was found dead in Georgia and was believed murdered.
According to Gillepsie, “That phrase didn’t exist in Rene’s vocabulary”. He has so far only been charged with aggravated fleeing and attempting to elude, but police believe he is guilty of far worse.
“I can’t forgive (Murray)”, Bryan Robert, the priest’s brother, said. A chase ensued, but the driver, identified as 28-year-old Steven Murray, allegedly evaded capture through a construction zone.
A motive for the killing was not clear, but Murray is thought to have been receiving help from the priest, who often worked with people who had been incarcerated.
Coursey and Agent Morgan of the Burke County Sheriff’s Office send their condolences to the family of Father Rene Robert as well as the St. Johns community.
Law enforcement officials who conducted a welfare check on Robert immediately began a missing person’s search, calling his disappearance “uncharacteristic”.
“He will be sorely missed”.
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His auto was found abandoned near Aiken, police said. “I am confident that all of the investigators will continue their hard work in seeking a successful prosecution of this heinous act”, he said.
