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	Jury Seated in Priest Murder Case WTOL April 21, 2006 http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=4796365&nav=5Uai Toledo - A jury has been seated in the case of a priest accused of killing a nun in a hospital chapel. Just after 2:30, lawyers agreed to 12 jurors and 4 alternates for the case who will start hearing opening arguments on Friday. Prosecutors and defense attorneys chose 5 men and 7 women as the primary jurors, with 3 women and 1 man as alternates. A further breakdown of the jurors is expected from the court later this afternoon. After hearing opening arguments Friday morning, the jury will travel to the scene of the crime at the former Mercy Hospital, which is now a nursing school. Count on WTOL.COM for live streaming video of the opening arguments when they happen. The Rev. Gerald Robinson, 68, is accused of strangling and stabbing Sister Margaret Ann Pahl at Mercy Hospital where they worked. The priest presided at Pahl's funeral Mass four days after her death. Investigators have not disclosed a motive but said it may have been some kind of ritual slaying because of evidence found in the chapel and because Pahl's body was posed to look as though she had been sexually assaulted even though she wasn't. Potential jurors also were asked whether they have opinions on sexual molestation charges against clergy members in the Catholic Church. Robinson sat through the questioning, reacting only slightly. He wore a black suit and white priest's collar. Although he has been placed on leave by the Catholic Diocese in Toledo, he still has permission to wear his collar. The 68-year-old Robinson, who is free on bail, could get life in prison if convicted of murder. He cannot get the death penalty because it was not in effect at the time of the murder. Investigators say Sister Margaret Ann had approximately 30 stab wounds on her chest and neck, forming a pattern that resembled a cross. Police have said the killing may have been some kind of ritual slaying because of evidence found in the chapel and because Pahl's body was posed to look as though she had been sexually assaulted, even though investigators say she wasn't. The case will lean heavily on forensic evidence because there were no witnesses to the crime, and because it happened so long ago. Investigators who reopened the case after two decades say they found bloodstains on an altar cloth that matched those from a sword-shaped letter opener. They said the stains were created when the letter opener was laid down. Police now believe the letter opener, found in Robinson's room, was the murder weapon -- but investigators said they didn't have enough evidence to arrest him at the time of the crime. They also exhumed the nun's body two years ago and gathered DNA samples. Prosecutors plan to use Robinson's statements made to police, including a claim that someone else had confessed to killing Sister Margaret Ann. He later admitted making that up, according to an investigator's testimony earlier this year. Investigators have not disclosed a motive for the slaying. Investigators reopened the murder case in December 2003 after the prosecutor's office received a letter about a woman's claims that she was molested by priests for years as a child. Among the names she mentioned was Robinson. Police were unable to substantiate her allegations of sexual abuse. Investigators took Robinson into custody in April 2004 after the priest told them that the letter opener belonged to him. Since then, some community members have accused police and the Diocese of Toledo of not aggressively investigating the slaying and crimes involving priests accused of molesting children. The case is receiving national attention. The cable network Court TV will be in Toledo later this week for opening arguments. The New York Times, LA Times, and other national magazines have also sent people here to cover the trial. Count on News 11 and WTOL.COM for complete coverage as the case unfolds.
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