Mississippi Nuns Murder: Suspect Arrested And Charged With Capital Murder
Police have made an arrest in the Mississippi murder of two Catholic nuns, where the rural community of Durant is still reeling from the news, and the suspect is being charged with capital murder. Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of capital murder after an “exhaustive interview” last night, according to AOL News. The charges stem from the ongoing investigation into the murders of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, who are found dead in their home Thursday morning.
“Sanders was developed as a person of interest early on in the investigation. With the cooperation of the Durant and Kosciusko Police Departments, Holmes County Sheriff’s Department and the Attorney General Office, this heinous crime has been resolved.”
While the MBI gave a typical statement about the horrific murders, for Assistant Chief James Lee of the Durant Police Department, the crime is much more personal, according to his comments in an NBC News video.
“Shocking is not a good term. We are devastated. It’s a small sleepy community.”
CNN confirmed that the cause of death of the two Catholic nuns was stabbing, but they are still unsure of a motive, or at least have not released one publicly. The two Catholic nuns lived together in Durant but were well known in the community for their work at the Lexington Medical Clinic, where they both worked as nurses to help provide healthcare to those who can’t afford it.
Our hearts are heavy today. The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth have lost a member of their community today…. https://t.co/R0eo9d74m1
— Kathy Szafran (@CrittentonWV) August 27, 2016
There appeared to have been a break-in, and the two nuns’ car was missing until last night when it was found approximately one mile from the residence. This has created some speculation that robbery might have been a motive, but Warren Strain, a Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman, cautioned everyone not to jump to conclusions with an investigation still pending.
In the meantime, neighbors and coworkers are struggling to make sense of the brutal murders of two women who gave so much to their community. A local pharmacist, Rayanne Haffey, told NBC News that it was fairly common for the nuns to not only call in prescriptions but to say they were going to pay for the medication. Next door neighbor Patricia Wyatt Weatherly couldn’t understand what might have motivated someone to kill such kind people.
“They were sweet, very loving… easy to get along with. They didn’t bother anybody.”
Sister Paula and Sister Margaret, as they were known to the community, came from two different backgrounds before joining forces in one of the poorest counties in Mississippi. Sister Paula was a nun and nurse practitioner for the Kentucky-based Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Sister Margaret was a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was “living her dream of erasing racism and poverty in the deep South,” according to CNN.
The outpouring of grief leaves no doubt that the loss of’ Sister Paula and Sister Margaret has snuffed out a tremendous light in this rural Mississippi community where so many suffer in poverty. NBC News included a video clip of Sister Paula talking about their work at the clinic, and it shows how the good deeds of these two nuns simply came out of a desire to help other people without regard for any return or reward.
“Margaret and I worked together for many years. We just see patients and do what has to be done.”
The two were found by a co-worker when they didn’t show up for work at the Lexington Clinic Thursday morning.
[Images via Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and Michael O’Loughlin/School Sisters of St. Francis]
