Easton Man Charged With Murder Of Pastor In N.J.



More than 150 parishoners of St. Patrick's church in Chatham, New Jersey attended Mass Sunday, two days after their beloved pastor was found murdered in the church rectory. Meanwhile, neighbors of the Easton man arrested for the murder are speaking out. WFMZ's Jackie Shutack reports. On Sunday, neighbors of Jose Feliciano say the family man spent more time in his native New Jersey than he did in Easton.The Morris County prosecutor says Feliciano is responsible for stabbing Chatham priest Father Ed Hinds more than 30 times.
He told CNN he believes the violent attack stemmed from an argument over Feliciano's employment at the church.
Neighbors on this quiet street are surprised the quiet father of two is accused of such a violent crime.
>> TRISTAN WICKKISER - NEIGHBOR: "You only see him early in the morning and late at night."
>> REPORTER: Neighbors say Feliciano is from new Jersey, and moved his wife and two children to Easton because it was more affordable.
They say he and his family continued to commute to New Jersey for work and school.
Friday morning, 61 year old Father Ed Hinds was found in the rectory kitchen at St. Patrick's Church in Chatham New Jersey, a New York suburb.
Prosecutor Robert Bianchi says Feliciano stabbed Father Hinds over 30 times, after the two were involved in an argument.
He says they had their eye on Feliciano from the start of the investigation.
>> ROBERT BIANCHI - MORRIS COUNTY PROSECUTOR: "Eventually finding a cell phone that was the pastor's cell phone that was coming out of Easton, PA."
>> REPORTER: Neighbors say police arrived on their street Friday night.
>> JOHN O'BRIEN/NEIGHBOR: "I'm looking out there and I see all these people, it's raining and they got flashlights"
Back in Chatham, Father Hinds' parish continues to mourn, posting this message on their website:
"We pray for the repose of his soul. We pray for courage and strength during this sad and difficult time."
>> A spokesperson for the Prosecutor's office tells us Mr. Feliciano is under arrest and is currently being treated at an area hospital.
He is being held on one million dollars bail.
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