ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The man suspected in the homicide of a St. Augustine priest remains in a Georgia jail after leading deputies to the priest's body in a wooded area south of Augusta on Monday evening.
Steven Murray, 28, guided St. Johns County and Jacksonville deputies to the place where they could find the body of Father Rene Robert, who had been missing for more than a week.
Murray remained in custody overnight Monday in the nearby Burke County jail. News4Jax was told that there was a Burke County warrant in the works charging Murray with Robert's homicide, but he has not yet been charged in Georgia.
Burke County Sheriff Greg Coursey said Murray was interviewed Tuesday afternoon by local deputies, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and detectives from Jacksonville and St. Johns County.
UNCUT: Steven Murray walked interview in Burke County
Agencies from four counties in three states as well as the GBI are involved in the case.
"We've found the body, and we have Steven Murray, obviously, in custody, but we want to take this to court. We want to see justice for Father Rene and his family," Coursey said. "This is going to be a long process. It's just starting."
A source in Georgia said Robert's body was found in the woods directly off the State Route 56 spur highway just over the Burke County line from Richmond County. The discovery was made not far from Plant Vogtle and International Paper Mill.
Coursey said Murray told investigators that he has family in the area.
Robert's body will be taken to the GBI crime lab in Decatur, where an autopsy will be performed Wednesday.
After the body is released, the Diocese of St. Augustine will announce plans for Robert's funeral, which will include a public memorial.
"It's a sad story with a sad ending, but we're glad to bring some closure for his family and the St. Johns community," Coursey said.
Coursey said the St. Johns and Jacksonville sheriff's offices notified him Monday that they would be searching in the area, and then notified him at 7:20 p.m. that a body was found about a half-mile off a rural road. It was not buried.
"It's shocking the way it happened," Coursey said. "This is the third body that was brought to Burke County in the last year; I will say that."
UNCUT: Sheriff Coursey answers questions
Investigators believe that Robert was killed sometime between 8 and 11 p.m. April 10 in Georgia, St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar said Monday night.
Robert, 71, was last seen April 10 and was reported missing after he didnt attend a parishioner's funeral two days later. His car was found last week after Murray crashed into a tree and was arrested nearby. Murray was extradited to St. Johns County on charges of aggravated fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement, and was held there until Monday.
"The suspect reached out to a detective and began sharing information," Shoar said at a news conference Monday night. "He wanted to tell us where the body was."
Murray will likely face charges of first-degree murder in Georgia and kidnapping in Jacksonville, Shoar said.
"I know Father Rene was one of the better angels," Shoar said. "I just wish we had better news tonight. I honestly wish we had better news tonight."
Multijurisdiction case poses challenges
Since several of the crimes happened in different locations, charges will come from each individual place, investigators said.
An attorney told News4Jax that will require continued collaboration between several agencies moving forward.
"Each of those crimes would very likely need to be prosecuted where the offense occurred. So that would mean that if the fleeing occurred in one particular county, that would be separate from a kidnapping, and it would also be separate from the murder," Attorney Rhonda Peoples-Waters said.
Peoples-Waters pointed out that all of these separate agencies will still have to work together in the prosecution phase of the case.
She said that could pose some challenges when it comes to logistics, as detectives work to piece together the details of what happened.
Peoples-Waters explained why the kidnapping charge will stem from Duval County, and not St. Johns.
"Apparently, the investigators have gained some information to lead them to believe that there's enough evidence for kidnapping that occurred in the jurisdiction of Duval County, separate from, obviously, the murder," Peoples-Waters said.
While Peoples-Waters said multijurisdiction crime is rare, prosecuting agencies and law enforcement are fully prepared.
She said it’s likely that the bulk of the next phase will be handled in the state of Georgia.
"If the defendant is going to be facing, you know, capital punishment or life in prison, those would usually come from the murder charge," Peoples-Waters said.
Peoples-Waters also said a plea deal is a possibility for Murray moving forward.
Remembering Father Rene
Bishop Felipe J. Estevez of the Diocese of St. Augustine released a statement Tuesday on Robert's death.
"Father Rene was a humble and generous servant of our Lord and he shared his many gifts with the poor, the deaf community and with individuals whose lives have found themselves in jail or imprisoned. He put his faith into action through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy," Estevez said. "To those whom he ministered, Father Rene will be remembered for his kindness and endless love for them. He always saw the good in the people he served, reminding them that God created them for greatness with a good and noble purpose for others."
Robert's sister and brother also attended the news conference Monday evening.
"My brother died doing what he loved -- helping people," said Deborah Bedard, Robert's younger sister. "He had a lot of friends, and I thank everyone."
"I can't forgive (Murray)," Bryan Robert, the priest's brother, said. "My brother may. My brother may be mad at me when (it) gets to him, but I'm not going to forgive him. Hopefully we can do something to eliminate this in the future."
Shoar said that even though a large portion of the St. Johns County aspect of the investigation has been completed, there is still a lot of work left to do in the case. Investigators have not yet determined the motive in Robert's killing or how many trips Murray took to Aiken in Robert's car before he was captured, he said.
“I join many others within our community who were touched by Father Rene over the years and extend my condolences to his family and friends. He will be sorely missed. I am confident that all of the investigators will continue their hard work in seeking a successful prosecution of this heinous act," he said. “This complex investigation, that spanned three states and numerous counties, revealed an exemplary cooperation between many investigators and departments.”
Capturing a fugitive
A post on Robert's Facebook page at 1:05 p.m. April 10 said he was visiting a friend at the Orange Park Medical Center. Shoar said there are indications that Robert did visit someone at the hospital, but the timeline after that is what deputies are working to piece together.
Robert was reported missing on April 12. Deputies performed a welfare check at his home and found nothing suspicious, Cmdr. Chuck Mulligan said. Church officials later called to report that Robert missed an appointment, which escalated the case further, Mulligan said.
Robert's blue 2012 Toyota four-door car was spotted that night in St. Johns County. Deputies attempted to pull over the driver on State Road 207, but he refused to stop and led them on a high-speed chase into Jacksonville, where JSO officers took over the chase. They lost the car in heavy traffic in a construction zone near I-95 and J. Turner Butler Boulevard, Mulligan said.
Deputies believe that the driver was Murray, who lives in Jacksonville. Shoar said Monday night that detectives believe that Robert was dead before the chase.
Robert's car was discovered in Aiken about 8 p.m. April 13, Mulligan said.
A few hours later, a woman in South Carolina said she recognized Murray when he knocked on her door just after midnight Thursday, telling her and her husband to let him in. She called 911, and Murray was arrested near her home within 10 minutes of the call. He had crashed Robert's car in the woods nearby after being spotted by deputies in South Carolina.
Shoar said there were multiple weapons in the abandoned Toyota.
Mulligan said Robert had been helping Murray, who was recently released from jail.
Murray has been arrested numerous times since 2005 on charges including larceny, violation of probation and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Murray was extradited from Aiken, then booked Friday night into the St. Johns County jail.
Crews spent the weekend searching for Robert's body in a large area on Jacksonville's Westside, bordered by I-10, Beaver Street, I-295 and Baldwin, then announced Sunday night that they were scaling back the large-scale search.