A Church janitor was arrested on Saturday in the killing of a Catholic priest, whose body was found in his rectory in New Jersey with 32 knife wounds. The janitor said in a confession that the slaying was the culmination of an argument, according to officials. The reason behind the argument is yet to be determined.

The janitor, Jose Feliciano, 64, of Easton, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of the Rev. Edward Hinds, 61, the pastor of St. Patrick’s Church in Chatham, New Jersey. Feliciano was arrested after investigators tracked the priest’s cellphone to Easton, according to Robert A. Bianchi, the Morris County prosecutor. The investigators determined that Feliciano was the only church employee from Easton.

In an affidavit, Feliciano said he and Father Hinds were arguing in the rectory at 5 pm on Thursday. He then went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, which he used to stab the priest. The prosecutor’s office said Father Hinds had 32 knife wounds, including stabs and cuts, to the upper body and head.

Father Hinds’s body was discovered on Friday morning in the kitchen of his church’s rectory. Feliciano was present when the body was found by another church official. Bianchi said that the Chatham police officers who arrived first at the rectory were struck by what they described as peculiar behaviour by Feliciano. The police said they saw Feliciano half-heartedly perform CPR on Father Hinds, then stop after a short period and say, “There’s nothing we can do.”

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