A 33-year-old man is guilty of bludgeoning a priest to death in August 1992, a verdict that brings closure to a murder mystery that stumped police for 15 years.The article reveals details which I never knew before and which I'd rather not know now, but there it is.
A 12-member jury unanimously found Derrick Odomes guilty of second degree murder Thursday afternoon following a two-day trial.
Prosecutors argued that Odomes bludgeoned the Rev. Hunter Horgan to death Aug. 13, 1992, inside the priest's office in St. John's Episcopal Church in Thibodaux. Odomes, who was 14 years old in 1992, was arrested in September 2007.
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District Judge John E. LeBlanc, who presided over the trial, ruled last year that Odomes can't be sentenced if convicted of the slaying because he was a juvenile at the time of Horgan's death.
But Odomes received a life sentence last week as a result of six felony convictions he has racked up in the 19 years since the alleged murder, ensuring he will face significant jail time regardless of the outcome of the murder trial.
Pray for Fr Hunter Horgan's family and all who loved him, including the parishioners at St John's, that God will give them comfort, consolation, and the peace that passes understanding to keep their minds and hearts.
Pray for Derrick Odomes. Some won't like that I ask for prayers for Derrick, but Jesus said pray for your enemies. That is enough for me.
I knew Hunter, and he was a good guy. It's a sad comment that the Thibodaux police, with clear evidence of fingerprints, took 15 years to arrest the killer.
ReplyDeleteOrmonde, I don't have the answer. I do know that the rules the police must follow for testing juveniles are stricter than those for adults. But once Odomes was of age....
ReplyDeleteMimi, I pray for peace for all involved and I am thankful that you asked for prayers for the murderer as well. In my own prayer life I have been attempting to pray for my enemies because, as you said, Jesus told us to and that's enough for me as well.
ReplyDeleteIt is more difficult than I ever expected. The praying is easy -- it's the forgiveness and the healing of my hardened heart that are so difficult.
Blessings to you as well!
Brian, thank you. Praying is easier than forgiving. At times, the simple will to forgive is all I can manage, and I leave it to God to change my heart. And I've found that the change of heart comes, but it may take time. To be open to God's forgiving grace is what matters, not that forgiveness comes quickly. You can't rush forgiveness on people who have been wounded. My prayer would go something like this: 'Lord, I want to forgive, but you will have to change my heart.' And I believe God does change our hearts, eventually, so long as we remain open.
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