Lawyer Says Victim a Prominent Singer
By Brian Haynes
Review-Journal [Las Vegas NV]
January 30, 2007
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2007/Jan-30-Tue-2007/news/12274654.html
Authorities continued their hunt Monday for a 52-year-old fugitive priest wanted in the beating of a church singer.
Las Vegas police filed for arrest warrants charging the Rev. Georges Chaanine with attempted murder, battery with intent to commit sexual assault, and kidnapping in connection with Friday's attack at Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church.
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| Rev. Georges Chaanine Police file for arrest warrants against 52-year-old priest |
Police began their search for Chaanine after a woman said he beat her with a blunt object inside the church at 3050 Alta Drive, between Rancho Drive and Valley View Boulevard. Officers closed roads and searched the area for several hours before determining Chaanine had escaped.
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| Michaelina Bellamy Was principal singer and dancer in Folies Bergere in 1980s |
Investigators believe Chaanine fled in a cream-colored 2005 Buick sedan with Nevada license plate 732 RRM. The case has made national headlines and was featured on the front page of the America's Most Wanted Web site.
Las Vegas lawyer Bob Massi said the victim was Michaelina Bellamy, a prominent singer who has performed at many local lounges and venues, toured with the likes of Engelbert Humperdinck and opened for Enrique Iglesias. She sang the national anthem at a number of sporting events and in the 1980s was the principal singer and dancer in Folies Bergere.
Bellamy was not ready to speak publicly about what happened and was lying low until Chaanine is caught, Massi said.
"She's just concerned for her safety," he said. "She doesn't want to talk about anything at this point. She's still pretty traumatized."
The Diocese of Las Vegas suspended Chaanine and is cooperating with police, diocese Chancellor and Superintendent of Schools Richard Facciolo said in a statement.
"We are deeply saddened by the events that have unfolded," he said. "The diocese is cooperating fully with the authorities in their investigation and we will continue to do everything we can to assist the authorities in their effort to locate Father Chaanine."
Chaanine came to Our Lady of Las Vegas about three years ago. He was promoted to church administrator in July after the pastor, the Rev. Robert Petekiewicz, left, said Lee Haney, a diocese spokeswoman who is with Rogich Communications.
Petekiewicz's departure came amid allegations that he misused church funds. Three former church employees, including the bookkeeper and school principal, sued Petekiewicz and the Diocese of Las Vegas in May, saying they were forced from their jobs after trying to expose the financial misdealings, according to court documents. The lawsuit also alleges Petekiewicz physically abused two students at the school.
The diocese has denied the allegations.
Before coming to Las Vegas, Chaanine worked at St. Anthony of the Desert Mission in El Paso, Texas, and Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Wheeler, W.Va. Both of those churches are Maronite rite communities of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Maronites trace their origins to St. Maron, a Syrian hermit of the late 4th and early 5th centuries, and St. John Maron. The patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, Nasrallah Peter Sfeir, was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1994.
As the hunt for Chaanine entered its fourth day, Massi, who occasionally appears on the Fox television network as a legal analyst, wondered whether the fugitive had killed himself or was hiding out. He added that it is "absolutely known that he (Chaanine) loves the Grand Canyon."
Anyone with information about Chaanine's whereabouts can call police at 828-3421 or leave anonymous tips with Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.
Review-Journal staff writers Paul Harasim and Francis McCabe contributed to this report.
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