GUILTY OH - Sr. Margaret Pahl, 71, brutally murdered, Toledo, 5 April 1980

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TOLEDO (AP) -- A Roman Catholic priest charged in the 1980 strangling and stabbing of a nun whose body was found covered by an altar cloth in a hospital chapel always was a suspect in the killing, police said.

Police never could gather enough evidence, though, until they reopened the case about five months ago.

On Friday, police arrested the Rev. Gerald Robinson, who performed the funeral for the 71-year-old nun. Police Chief Mike Navarre would only say that ''new technology'' led them back to Robinson, 66, who was charged with murder. Navarre would not talk about evidence or a motive.

Robinson and Sister Margaret Ann Pahl worked together at Toledo's Mercy Hospital where he was the chaplain. Pahl was strangled before she was stabbed about 30 times on April 5, 1980. Her body was found surrounded by lit candles with her arms folded across her chest in the chapel where she was the caretaker.

It was described by some investigators as a ''ritualistic'' killing.

''It is about the most outrageous thing I can think of,'' said Ray Vetter, a retired deputy police chief who investigated the killing. ''It was even more galling that we didn't make an arrest. It must have aged me 10 years.''

Police never suspected robbery as a motive because they found Pahl's purse and several gold crucifixes near her body. No fingerprints or footprints were found. Investigators determined that the killer used a small knife. There was some evidence but not enough to get a conviction against anyone, Vetter said. Robinson, whose office was steps from the chapel, remained a primary suspect because he was near the chapel at the time of the killing, Vetter said. ''He was a suspect, but he wasn't the only suspect,'' Vetter said on Saturday

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=1811386
 
This case is extremely scary and bizarre.

I'd love to read more about it, and discuss it with the excellent sleuths here.
 
Tristan said:
This case is extremely scary and bizarre.

I'd love to read more about it, and discuss it with the excellent sleuths here.

I would like to know more too, but i fail to find anything while googling - do you have a link to the story so i can make a start in the right direction?

something described as "extremely scary and bizarre" needs to be read by me.
 
Floh said:
I would like to know more too, but i fail to find anything while googling - do you have a link to the story so i can make a start in the right direction?

something described as "extremely scary and bizarre" needs to be read by me.
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I've been watching this case on Court tv when I am home.It is weird.The Priest is scary looking! It was said he prays a lot~I think he better.It is a ritual killing,many things point to it being done by someone of the Church.If he did this,doesn't seem to point to anyone else,I hope he doesn't get away with it.I dont like his smirk! Try googling Toledo Ohio newspapers~should be in one.I'm going to check it out now.
 
Floh said:
I would like to know more too, but i fail to find anything while googling - do you have a link to the story so i can make a start in the right direction?

something described as "extremely scary and bizarre" needs to be read by me.


CTV has a forum on this on their message board. if you go to their website and click on "message board" this trial, ohio v robinson is the first forum listed. there are multiple threads including usually a thread on the day's testimony as it happens.

this priest seems to be the only one with means, motive and opportunity. the defense started its case friday and boy was it weak. they called the same police investigators as the prosecution had and did only a fair job in getting them so say the investigation had been "flubbed" 20 years ago.

that said, i can definitely see a not guilty verdict due to reasonable doubt. trust me, the Father, who appears at times to be sedated, will not take the stand.
 
Floh said:
I would like to know more too, but i fail to find anything while googling - do you have a link to the story so i can make a start in the right direction?

something described as "extremely scary and bizarre" needs to be read by me.
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Hi, I googled rev.gerald robinson and came up with quite a bit of info,also Columbus Dispatch which has mostly lates news.I heard on CTV.he is being charged on other counts by someone,caught tail end and they didn't go into detail~whatever it is is not being brought up at trial.
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I agree on not being found guilty by lack of evidence but I remember when this happened,thinking he did it.I'd like to read of the other charges.I can say they involve a woman but dont remember the few details I heard.I dont know how to add a link or I would.
 
Thanks everyone: now i have some names. to google. :)
 
Nore said:
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Hi, I googled rev.gerald robinson and came up with quite a bit of info,also Columbus Dispatch which has mostly lates news.I heard on CTV.he is being charged on other counts by someone,caught tail end and they didn't go into detail~whatever it is is not being brought up at trial.
--------------------------

I agree on not being found guilty by lack of evidence but I remember when this happened,thinking he did it.I'd like to read of the other charges.I can say they involve a woman but dont remember the few details I heard.I dont know how to add a link or I would.


Father robinson was charged with this crime after a woman came forward a few years ago saying she had been ritually sexually abused by him. she stated that one of the things he did to her involved something like carving an upside down cross on her stomach. so when she came forward with her allegations she told LE to go back to the sister's case and look for evidence of an upside down cross. LE went back and looked at the alter cross. they took the cloth to the police artist and asked him what he saw when he looked at the stab wounds in the cloth. he told them he saw an upside down cross, and away the cold case unit went with the investigation which ended with robinson's arrest and this trial.

this alleged sexual abuse crime will not come before the jury.
 
izzyB said:
Father robinson was charged with this crime after a woman came forward a few years ago saying she had been ritually sexually abused by him. she stated that one of the things he did to her involved something like carving an upside down cross on her stomach. so when she came forward with her allegations she told LE to go back to the sister's case and look for evidence of an upside down cross. LE went back and looked at the alter cross. they took the cloth to the police artist and asked him what he saw when he looked at the stab wounds in the cloth. he told them he saw an upside down cross, and away the cold case unit went with the investigation which ended with robinson's arrest and this trial.

this alleged sexual abuse crime will not come before the jury.
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Thanks Izzy,if she has a cross carved on her stomach the jury should know about it.Sounds like he has a hatred for women in general.I dont like to judge by looks but he looks evil.He's probably sitting there praying for God to get him out of this.IMO.
 
Nore said:
----------------

Thanks Izzy,if she has a cross carved on her stomach the jury should know about it.Sounds like he has a hatred for women in general.I dont like to judge by looks but he looks evil.He's probably sitting there praying for God to get him out of this.IMO.



although there has been no live testimony regarding this trial so far this morning on CTV (live coverage of the sentencing for the rhode island nightclub fire) they were discussing the robinson case this morning on lisa and vinnie's show and this woman's "allegation" will not come before the jury in this case, as the "validity " of her "alleged" ritual sexual abuse has not been decided in court, and so it will have no mention in this trial. the attorney who was the guest said her allegation may or may not be true, and therefore should have no bearing on the murder case, although the victim said this happened in the 70's and the nun's murder was in 1980.

to me, he did it, but i do not know what the jury will think. in ohio they cannot take any notes about the testimony. also, DNA taken from her underwear band and tested years and years later was not Father robinson's.
now beth karas said the DNA tested was a teeny tiny amount and it could have belonged to one of the people at the hospital who tried to revive her. so clearly a circumstantial case, although the Father did own the letter opener (looks like a daggar) that Could Have Been the murder weapon. also he has flunked a poly (the other priest passed), lied when he said the real murderer confessed to him (robinson) and then took it back, and was the only person not accounted for at the time of the murder of those known to be in the building then.
 
You know, most people can live their whole lives without having their names linked to two sexual abuse cases (there is more than one woman--and they don't known each other--who has laimed Robinson molested them as children) and a murder, much less a priest.

Apparently the Toldeo Archdiocese has a long history of sweeping sexual misconduct by their priests under the rug. One such oddity was a group of (apparently) gay/bisexual priests who would dress up as nuns and hold rituals/ parties in the churches. They called themselves The Sisters of Assumed Mary (SAM) or the Sons of SAM. All this is mentioned in the various Toledo Blade articles about this case. (The guy who ran the nun drag parties is a close friend of the defendant, BTW) All very creepy.
 
BillyGoatGruff said:
You know, most people can live their whole lives without having their names linked to two sexual abuse cases (there is more than one woman--and they don't known each other--who has laimed Robinson molested them as children) and a murder, much less a priest.

Apparently the Toldeo Archdiocese has a long history of sweeping sexual misconduct by their priests under the rug. One such oddity was a group of (apparently) gay/bisexual priests who would dress up as nuns and hold rituals/ parties in the churches. They called themselves The Sisters of Assumed Mary (SAM) or the Sons of SAM. All this is mentioned in the various Toledo Blade articles about this case. (The guy who ran the nun drag parties is a close friend of the defendant, BTW) All very creepy.
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Thanks BillyGoatGruff,I thought I'd read more than one a while back but thought I may have been having a senior moment! I'm going to go back to the Blade and read more.I think someone needs to do a full investigation into this Diocese,bet that is someting seeing them prance around..This Priests mouth looks mean!I read there had been words between the Nun and this Priest,she seemed to be very devoted to her Church,maybe stumbled onto something that riled him.
 
I didn't see a thread for this anywhere else. The verdict in the case of Father Robinson was just announced on CourtTV. In just 6 hrs. the jury found him guilty! The Judge quickly sentenced him to life in prison. I've never seen anything happen so fast before. The priest remained emotionless, although awake today.

It's such a good feeling that justice was served. :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
 
Sniffy38 said:
I didn't see a thread for this anywhere else. The verdict in the case of Father Robinson was just announced on CourtTV. In just 6 hrs. the jury found him guilty! The Judge quickly sentenced him to life in prison. I've never seen anything happen so fast before. The priest remained emotionless, although awake today.

It's such a good feeling that justice was served. :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
this isnt very nice, and I was raised Catholic, so I have seen alot of them, but he just looked mean & evil to me...I realize that doent make him guilty----but...
 
Sniffy38 said:
I didn't see a thread for this anywhere else. The verdict in the case of Father Robinson was just announced on CourtTV. In just 6 hrs. the jury found him guilty! The Judge quickly sentenced him to life in prison. I've never seen anything happen so fast before. The priest remained emotionless, although awake today.

It's such a good feeling that justice was served. :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

I think he did it, but wasn't sure the prosecution had a real solid case. Obviously, the jury agreed with the pros. j2mirish, I also thought he looked creepy......
 
this is a quote from the convicted priest's sister-in-law according to the court tv website

Vercellotti is involved with a network for people abused by priests and was in the courtroom

As Robinson's sister-in-law passed Vercellotti in the hallway, she said, "I hope you rot in hell." :eek:

how pleasant................................:doh:
 
This has been an interesting case.It endedtoday when the jury found Father Robinson guilty.I think they made the right decision especially after hearing bizzare facts that Beth Karas revealed after the verdict.He has been sentenced to 15 to life.The most bizzare fact to me was finding over 500 pictures of dead people in caskets among his personal belongings.He is also being charged in a civil suit by another Nun.The jury was unaware of this.One citizen just speaking out hinted at the weird goings on at the Toledo diocese..Something to keep an eye on.
 
Apparently there were 4 women who have come forward to identify Robinson as having sexually absued them utilizing S&M, including carving upside down crosses on bellies, etc.
The old *advertiser censored* is going to die in prison.
 
j2mirish said:
this is a quote from the convicted priest's sister-in-law according to the court tv website

Vercellotti is involved with a network for people abused by priests and was in the courtroom

As Robinson's sister-in-law passed Vercellotti in the hallway, she said, "I hope you rot in hell." :eek:

how pleasant................................:doh:



That smooth talkin' devil..

That family puts the "fun" in dysfunctional. :boohoo:
 

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