NEW YORK (NY)
New York Post
March 13, 2019
By Gabrielle Fonrouge and Craig McCarthy
The New Jersey pedophile priest who was found shot to death in his Nevada home had a history of hiring male prostitutes, and police believe he was targeted for death, according to reports and neighbors.
The Henderson Police Department outside of Las Vegas has declined to comment on John Capparelli’s “suspicious” death, which has been ruled a homicide by the Clark County Coroner, but the local Fox 5 outlet reported the disgraced and defrocked priest had a history of ordering male prostitutes, citing police sources.
Capparelli, who’s been accused of sexually abusing at least two dozen young men while a New Jersey priest in the 1970s and 1980s and appeared on a list of Garden State priests credibly accused of sex abuse last month, was found dead on his kitchen floor on Saturday with a gunshot wound to his neck, the coroner’s office said.
When reached by The Post, neighbor Martha Lovato, 71, said police implied Capparelli’s death was a targeted attack.
“A policeman came to our door to ask if there were any outside cameras… they said they were investigating a crime in the neighborhood,” Lovato said.
Lovato added cops told her there was no cause for concern, leading her to believe it was a targeted attack.
“It sounds to me that somebody had a personal vendetta against him,” she said.
Another neighbor said cops believe Capparelli was killed last Wednesday Mar. 6 because he didn’t show up for dinner plans with a friend that night. Joann D’Angelo said the friend came by on Saturday morning to check on Capparelli and called police, who broke in and found his body.
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