Father Rene Update: Suspected Killer Steven Murray Says People Should Forgive Him


The man accused of killing Florida priest Father Rene Robert told reporters on Friday that he thinks he should be forgiven for his crimes.

People reports that Steven Murray, 28, of Jacksonville, Florida, led authorities to the body of 71-year-old Rev. Rene Wayne Robert of St. Augustine, Florida, on Monday. Father Rene had been missing a little over a week before Murray confessed to murdering the priest.

While being led away in handcuffs from a Burke County, Georgia, courthouse, after learning he’d been charged with felony first-degree murder, Murray spoke to reporters, stating that he wanted forgiveness for what he did. He said mental issues made him do it, but didn’t explain further.

“If anybody loves Father Rene, they’ll forgive me because he was a man of God, and forgiveness is forgiveness. I have mental problems and I lost control of myself. I apologize.”

According to CBS 47 reporter Bridgette Matter, Murray asked for forgiveness while apologizing several times. When asked about his own children, however, Murray declined to answer.

Murray led investigators to an isolated, wooded area in Waynesboro, Georgia, where they found the remains of a male, but the Georgia Medical Examiner’s Office couldn’t make a positive identification because of the condition of the body. Three days later, dental records confirmed that the remains found matched Father Rene. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation listed his death as a homicide, caused by gunshot wounds.

The suspect, a career criminal, was already a person of interest in the case because he was spotted driving Father Rene’s Toyota Corolla on April 13 in Aiken, South Carolina. When police attempted to pull him over, a foot chase ensued. Murray ran into an isolated area in the woods, but was eventually caught with the assistance of helicopters and police dogs.

According to his arrest warrant, Murray had cash, a pump-action rifle, a double-barreled shotgun, BB guns, jewelry, medication, and other merchandise. He remains in jail without bond.

Authorities believe that Father Rene was killed on April 10, but they’re still unsure of the motive.

Father Rene, a Roman Catholic priest for the Diocese of St. Augustine church, reportedly met Murray through a prison ministry service. Murray was in the Duval County Jail in Jacksonville from March 22 until April 6 for operating a vehicle with a suspended license. According to Rev. John Gillespie, a fellow priest at the Diocese of St. Augustine, “He did prison ministry, and unfortunately in this case it seems to have come back against him. Putting himself in harm’s way. That phrase didn’t exist in Rene’s vocabulary.”

Despite his age, Father Rene was known to have the energy of someone decades younger. Rev. Gillespie fondly remembered him making several visits to different events all within a few days’ time.

“In a couple of days’ time, he might show up at five, six or seven different events, such as gatherings for prison reform, hospital and nursing home visits, serving as a teacher or translator for the deaf. And he would perform his tasks quietly, without making noise about himself.”

Father Rene was originally from New York, but moved to Florida in 1980 to help teach the blind and deaf. He began his career at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, and by 1989, he became a priest. He divided his time between the school and a parish for numerous years. Father Rene was loved by many people and enjoyed helping people, regardless of who they were or what crimes they committed.

According to a statement published by the diocese, Father Rene had just started a “monthly Mass for the deaf at San Sebastian,” which included a dinner. Without Father Rene present, there’s currently no way to continue the program.

[Photo by the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office]

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