Priest's murder of nun not satanic says prosecutor

TOLEDO - The slaying of a Roman Catholic nun in 1980 was sparked by a priest's simmering anger over her domineering ways and not part of a "satanic cult killing," a prosecutor said Wednesday in closing arguments of the priest's trial.

The Rev. Gerald Robinson not only choked and stabbed Sister Margaret Ann Pahl, but he also humiliated her in death, Assistant Lucas County Prosecutor Dean Mandros told jurors.

Robinson stabbed her in the chest in the shape of an upside-down cross, anointed her with her own blood and stripped off her underwear "to degrade her, to mock her, to humiliate her," Mandros said.

"Was this is a satanic cult killing? No," Mandros said. "A man got very angry with a woman. The only difference is that the man wore a white collar, and the woman wore a habit."

Robinson, 68, is accused of killing Sister Pahl while she was preparing the Mercy Hospital chapel the day before Easter in 1980. She was choked and then stabbed 31 times.

Robinson was a chaplain at the hospital and worked closely with Sister Pahl, 71, and presided at her funeral. He was a suspect early in the investigation but was not charged until two years ago.

Robinson faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted of murder. Jurors deliberated for about four hours Wednesday after nine days of testimony. They will resume today.

The defense told jurors that DNA evidence doesn't link Robinson to the crime. The nun's underwear and fingernails had traces of DNA that was likely from a man but not from Robinson, defense attorney John Thebes said.

"It points somewhere else," he said.

The priest's attorneys also questioned the memories of witnesses who said they saw Robinson near the chapel no more than an hour before the nun's body was found inside. Defense attorney Alan Konop said the witnesses gave conflicting accounts of where and when they saw Robinson.

Robinson, who sat in the courtroom wearing a priest's collar, has been solemn throughout the trial. "Do you really think Father Robinson is some sleek killer?" Konop said. "Or is he a mild, meek man?"