As he prepares to say goodbye to his aunt this weekend, the nephew of a nun slain in MS said the arrest of 46-year-old man in her killing has given him a “very small sense of relief”.
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Sanders is being held in a detention centre while he awaits his first court appearance, police say.
Strain said Saturday that he does not know whether Sanders has an attorney.
We have been made aware this morning that an arrest has been made and charges have been filed in connection with the deaths of Sister Margaret Held of our community and Sister Paula Merrill of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.
Authorities have not released information on how he was implicated or what his connection to Merrill and Held might have been, but Holmes County Sheriff Willie March said Saturday he had been brief on the interrogation. Strain said “investigators believe Sanders acted alone”. The nuns were nurse practitioners who dedicated their lives to providing healthcare to people in the poorest county in the state.
Friends and colleagues who knew two nuns killed in their MS home are gathering to remember them.
A spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Corrections says Sanders was out on probation after being convicted past year of felony DUI.
Merrill’s nephew, David Merrill, speaking by telephone from Stoneham, Massachusetts, said Saturday the family was “thankful” Sanders is off the streets.
Sanders, from Kosciusko, Mississippi, lived about 30 miles from where the murders occurred.
The nuns’ stolen vehicle was found abandoned a mile from their home in Durant, and police said there were signs of a break-in.
Still, the family has to deal with the loss.
The order of one of the nuns killed in MS has issued a statement that thanks the law enforcement officers who are working on the case.
In the poverty-stricken MS county where the two nuns were slain, many people were still mourning their loss.
David Merrill said he is comforted to know that his aunt and Held were together in their final moments. They have not given any details on why they think Sanders killed the women or whether he knew them.
Both nuns were nurse practitioners, who dispensed flu shots, insulin and other medical care for those who could not afford it.
He said Merrill would want him to forgive whoever killed the women, but he hopes the perpetrator is arrested, convicted and executed.
On Friday, a handwritten sign on the front door of Lexington Medical Clinic said it was closed until Monday.
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Their deaths have left a gaping hole in the community. The county sheriff said Sanders confessed to the killings although many people are struggling to comprehend why anyone would want to take the two women’s lives. Articles featured include reporting on world news, politics, finance, health, entertainment and technology.
