ATLANTA (AP) – A man facing a murder charge in the disappearance of a St. Augustine priest said he has “mental problems” and asked for forgiveness as he was led from a courthouse in east Georgia.
In video aired by local TV stations 28-year-old Steve James Murray said Wednesday that he’s “very sorry” and that if people love the Rev. Rene Wayne Robert, they will forgive him.
Asked by a reporter what happened, Murray replied that he has mental problems and “I lost control of myself.”
Another reporter asks Murray specifically what he did, and Murray doesn’t respond as authorities place him inside a waiting car outside the courthouse.
Authorities say the priest worked with prisoners, a calling police say put him in contact with his killer.
Earlier:
ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia authorities say they’ve filed a murder charge against a man described as a “career criminal” who led authorities to a body believed to be that of a missing Florida priest.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman Scott Dutton on Thursday told The Associated Press that 28-year-old Steve James Murray of Jacksonville, Florida, faces a first-degree murder charge.
Dutton says an autopsy found that the victim – believed to be the Rev. Rene Wayne Robert of St. Augustine, Florida – was shot multiple times.
Dutton says the body was found in a heavily wooded area of Burke County, in east Georgia, where
Murray is being held without bond.
Police say Murray knew Robert and led authorities to the body in woods near Waynesboro, Georgia.
Murray was arrested in South Carolina while driving the priest’s Toyota Corolla.
