“If anybody really loves Father Rene, they’ll forgive me because he was a man of God and forgiveness is forgiveness”, he said. “I apologize, I apologize, I apologize”. Forgiveness is forgiveness.” He was said, after court, “I have mental problems and I lost control of myself. Murray is a person of interest in the disappearance of a 71-year-old Catholic priest from St. Augustine, Fla.
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Murray was extradited last Friday to St. Johns County and is being held on no bail.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Thursday afternoon that dental records confirm the body is that of the Rev. Rene Wayne Robert.
Investigators say suspect Steven Murray is the one who led them to the body.
After following a trail of clues, investigators believe they found Rev. Rene Robert’s body in Georgia.
Authorities in SC say a man has been charged in connection with a missing Florida priest whose body was found in Georgia.
He was found with a blue 2012 Toyota Corolla, which police said belonged to the priest. Deputies attempted to pull over the driver on State Road 207, but he refused to stop and led them on a high-speed chase into Jacksonville, where JSO officers took over the chase.
Tuesday, April 12: The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office checked on Robert after church officials reported he missed a funeral – “uncharacteristic and not in keeping with his normal activities, ” the department said in a Facebook post.
Investigators believe Robert was killed Sunday, April 10 in the evening, Shoar said. Murray was arrested early April 14, after police spotted him in Father Robert’s auto speeding through a construction zone and later crashing into a tree in Aiken, S.C.
The 28-year-old Murray kidnapped the priest and took him to Georgia in his own vehicle and killed him there, cops believe, but they are unsure of a motive.
Although Father Robert’s body was not formally identified by the morgue, Sheriff David Shoar of St. John’s County confirmed that the priest clearly “was the victim of homicidal violence”. Shoar said Murray also broke into homes in SC before his arrest. ‘And I think that’s how it’s gotten him into trouble a little bit’.
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“My brother died doing what he loved: helping people”, she said.
