On Monday, police in Phoenix, Arizona, announced that they've arrested a homeless ex-convict for the June 11 murder of a Catholic priest, Rev. Kenneth Walker, and the beating of his colleague, Rev. Joseph Terra. The accused, 54-year-old Gary Michael Moran, has already spent at least eight years in jail for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and drug charges, and police say he stole a camera and car from the priests.
The story of the assault is where the tragic story gets interesting. According to police, Rev. Terra opened the door of the Mother of Mercy Mission rectory to look into noises in the courtyard when Moran attacked him and beat him with a metal rod. Injured, Terra retrieved his .357-caliber handgun from his room, but Moran allegedly took it from him and robbed Terra at gunpoint before the priest blacked out. When he woke up, Rev. Walker had been shot by Terra's gun.
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