Priest accused

last updated 8 January 2015

Toledo

A Roman Catholic priest, the Rev. Gerald Robinson, has been charged with murdering a nun in a Toledo hospital chapel 24 years ago. The body of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl, 71, was found covered with an altar cloth, surrounded by burning candles. She had been stabbed 32 times and strangled. Detectives shelved the case for lack of evidence, but reopened it five months ago after a woman claimed that priests had abused her in satanic and sadomasochistic rituals. Police now believe Sister Margaret Ann was killed in a “ceremony,” and that Robinson still has the murder weapon. Robinson’s lawyer, John Thebes, said there was no proof. “There’s a reason these cases are cold and sit for 24 years,” he said.