NJ priest slain in church rectory is mourned

[October 24, 2009]  CHATHAM, N.J. (AP) -- Services will be held Saturday at St. Patrick's Church in this tiny borough, a moment of continuity for a community rocked by the slaying of the Rev. Ed Hinds in the town's first violent death in 20 years.

The 61-year-old Roman Catholic priest was found in his clerical robes in the rectory kitchen at about 8 a.m. Friday after he failed to appear for morning Mass. Authorities say the priest's work with the needy may have made him vulnerable but will not say whether they have a suspect.

Dazed and angry parishioners lifted the yellow crime scene tape outside the church's school Friday afternoon as they walked their children home in this upscale community, where the median family income is $132,000 a year. Neighbors gathered in small groups to watch investigators search through piles of leaves and under bushes outside their homes, pulling their coats around them in the autumn wind.

"He was great," Parishioner Michael Martha said of Hinds. "He was very gentle."

"He was just a magnificent man," said Hinds' cousin Jeannette Miller. "Everybody loved him."

"He was just a good, dedicated, hardworking priest," said the Rev. Genoa Sylvia, 42.

Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi was tightlipped about the details of the crime, but said preliminary autopsy results confirm that Hinds was the victim of a homicide, the first violent death in Chatham since a 1990 manslaughter case.

Hinds appeared to be brewing up a cup of coffee when he was killed.

"It makes absolutely no sense," said Bishop Arthur Serratelli of the Diocese of Paterson.

No arrests had been made as of Friday night and Bianchi would not comment on whether any suspects have been identified in the death. He said several witnesses were being questioned.

The pastor was last seen alive around 11 p.m. Thursday, after a safety seminar at the church in which police fingerprinted and photographed young children.

"Until a suspect is caught, people should be hypervigilant," Bianchi said, noting that Hinds' injuries were significant.

Chatham is a New York City bedroom community of about 10,000 residents.

Hinds, who was born in nearby Morristown, had been 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.

---

Associated Press writer Beth DeFalco in Trenton, N.J., contributed to this report.

[Associated Press; By VICTOR EPSTEIN]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.