Man Arrested, Charged With Murder of 2 Mississippi Nuns
David Caplan
A man has been arrested in connection with the killing of two nuns in
Mississippi this week, the state's Department of Public Safety announced
late Friday in a statement.
Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, has been charged with two counts of capital murder
in connection with the killing of Sister Paula Merrill and Sister
Margaret Held, who were found dead Thursday morning in their home in
Durant.
Mississippi DPS
"Sanders was developed as a person of interest early on in the
investigation,” said Mississippi Bureau of Investigations director Lt.
Colonel Jimmy Jordan in the statement. “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.”
After an "exhaustive interview" Friday night, Mississippi Bureau of
Investigations agents were able to develop enough information to charge
Sanders, according to the statement.
"Information was developed on his whereabouts during the course of the
investigation. Sanders was located, questioned, and then brought into
custody and charged," Warren Strain, communications director for the
Mississippi Department of Public Safety, told ABC News early Saturday
morning.
There was no incident when Sanders was arrested.
Strain also told ABC News it is believed Sanders acted alone.
Police initially said the nuns may have been victims of a break-in and
car theft. Their bodies were found by police when they did not report to
work, the Catholic Diocese of Jackson said.
"She was so good to the people down there and they just loved her,"
Merrill's sister, Rosemarie Merrill, told ABC affiliate WAPT in Jackson.
Authorities did not release a cause of death but Rev. Greg Plata said police told him the women were stabbed, The AP reported.
A car apparently taken from the nuns' home was found Thursday night
about one mile away from the crime scene. The car was taken to the crime
lab to be processed.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo
Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo
Sanders is “not quite homeless,” but is "nomadic,” said Strain. He split
his time between the Mississippi communities of Lexington, Durant, and
Kosciusko.
Strain said the public was a great help to the investigation and there
is a "good possibility" that the $22,500 reward will be distributed
after an intensive vetting process.
Sanders is being held in an undisclosed detention center awaiting his
initial court appearance, to be set on Monday, Strain said.
A wake will be held Sunday evening at the St. Thomas Church in Lexington
and a memorial mass will be held Monday morning at the Cathedral of
Saint Peter the Apostle in Jackson.
