Okla. pastor found dead in her Pentacostal church

[samanthajane13]

By MURRAY EVANS, Associated Press Writer Murray Evans, Associated Press Writer – 8 mins ago

ANADARKO, Okla. – A pastor in southwest Oklahoma was killed and her body was found inside her Pentecostal church, but authorities had few leads in the investigation, officials said Monday.

The body of Carol Daniels, 61, was found Sunday inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko. The small A-frame building sits along a main road in the Caddo County town of about 6,600 people, which is about 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said that Daniels had trauma to her body, but she did not disclose details about the killing, including how, when or where she died.

Daniels' mother, Charlesetta Dunlap, said Monday the family had no further information about the crime and wasn't ready to talk about Daniels.

"We don't know anything yet," she said.

Investigators said they have no suspects in Daniels' death and few leads to follow. Officials on Sunday spoke with several people who gathered around the building after word about the slaying spread. Many of them wept and hugged each other.

Brown said Daniels lived in Oklahoma City and drove to the church each Sunday for services.

Daniels was a graduate of Douglass High School in Oklahoma City and the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. She is survived by her adult daughter, Raina.

Mitchell Pendarvis, who lives next door to the church, was surprised to hear about the killing.

"I don't know what to think and I'm trying to think," Pendarvis told Oklahoma City television station KWTV. "I mean, who would do this to this woman?"

___

Information from: KWTV-TV, http://www.news9.com/


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090824/ap_on_re_us/us_pastor_killed

[samanthajane13]

Mother: Slain Okla. pastor 'just loved people'
By MURRAY EVANS, Associated Press Writer Murray Evans, Associated Press Writer – 16 mins ago

ANADARKO, Okla. – A pastor who came alone to a small church in southwest Oklahoma every Sunday on the chance that that someone would join her to pray was found slain inside the weathered building, police said Monday, but who would want to kill her was a mystery.

Police found 61-year-old Carol Daniels of Oklahoma City dead about noon Sunday inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko, housed in an A-frame building just a block from the police station in the town of about 6,600 people.

Trauma to Daniels' body indicated foul play, said Jessica Brown, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Brown would not disclose details, including how, when or where Daniels died. An autopsy was to be done Monday.

Daniels was found after police were asked to check on her, Brown said, but declined to say who requested that police do so. Police in Anadarko, about 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, referred all questions about the case to the state police agency.

While the church did not have a regular congregation, Brown said, Daniels was there every Sunday in case people came in to pray or hear a sermon.

"She went with the expectation of someone wanting to seek the Lord," her mother, Charlesetta Dunlap said. "She felt that if she was there it gave them the opportunity.

"As the Lord leads, so she would do."

Kevin Cheadle of Anadarko, who attends St. Paul United Methodist Church, said Daniels sometimes visited that church and spoke. He said the last time she did so was this past spring, when she delivered a sermon on the Holy Spirit.

"She seemed to be a real nice person," Cheadle said. "She was real quiet, but she knew how to bring the Word and give a good message. She was a very Christian lady that loved the Lord, I know that."

But at Christ Holy Sanctified Church, Daniels' car was usually the only vehicle at the church, said Mitchell Pendarvis, who lives next door.

The church, some of its paint peeling and its screen door torn, is in an area that is part business and part residential. It overlooks an area that includes two vacant homes and an abandoned car wash. The church is near an alley where Pendarvis said men sometimes congregate and drink.

"They sit back there, some of them sleep there," he said.

Dunlap said the church wasn't in the best area.

"Maybe that was why she had a mind to go there," she said. "She felt the Lord had her going."

Anadarko usually has two or three homicides a year, Brown said, with the most recent being about a month ago — a beating death in which a suspect was caught. About a half-mile from the church is an area that has a higher-than-normal crime rate, Brown said, with crimes involving drug activity.

Dunlap said she was concerned about her daughter going into the building by herself.

"You'd be concerned about anybody going into an area sometime," she said. "We didn't have any reason to really be fearful that we knew of, but being a mother, I was concerned."

Brown said detectives were seeking to talk to people who live near the church and do more extensive interviews with family and friends. Officials spoke on Sunday with several people who gathered around the building after word about the slaying spread.

Many of them wept and hugged each other. A makeshift memorial consisting of a teddy bear and flowers had been set up in front of the church by Monday afternoon.

Vic Bryan, the owner of the nearby Linda's Swap Shop, said he'd met Daniels just once, when she came to his antique business to introduce herself. He recalled her as "a pleasant lady" and said the area is usually quiet.

"We've had very little trouble over the years with anything, especially anything like this," he said.

Dunlap said police haven't shared any information with the family about any details of the investigation.

Daniels was a graduate of Douglass High School in Oklahoma City and the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. She is survived by her adult daughter, Raina.

Dunlap said her daughter spent most of her time helping others, such as working with the AARP.

"She just loved people," Dunlap said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090824/ap_on_re_us/us_pastor_killed

[samanthajane13]

Prosecutor: Crime scene at Okla. church 'horrific'
By ROCHELLE HINES, Associated Press Writer Rochelle Hines, Associated Press Writer – 22 mins ago

ANADARKO, Okla. – The crime scene inside a small Pentecostal church where a pastor was slain was the most brutal he has seen in nearly 20 years as a prosecutor, the local district attorney said Tuesday.

Police have released scant information about the killing of 61-year-old Carol Daniels, whose body was found Sunday inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church, a weather-beaten building on a rundown block near downtown Anadarko.

"I've prosecuted over 50 murders," District Attorney Bret Burns said. "This is the most horrific crime scene I've ever witnessed." He declined to elaborate, saying he did not want to jeopardize the investigation.

With little official word on the grisly killing, rumors in the town were swirling as people wonder what motivated the crime and who was responsible. Burns has called for a meeting of local pastors on Wednesday.

A preliminary autopsy on Daniels' body was conducted on Monday, but Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown would not say anything about the cause or time of death, a possible motive or what evidence was collected at the scene.

She said that trauma to the body indicated foul play, but did not provide details about the nature of the trauma or what caused it.

Authorities do not have any suspects, she said.

"Right now we have more questions than answers," Brown said. "The few answers we do have, we want to hold on to. That might help us in the long run."

Daniels made the 60-mile trek from Oklahoma City every week to preach, even though the church had no regular congregation. Her mother, Charlesetta Dunlap, said Daniels spent most of her time helping others and went to Anadarko consistently "with the expectation of someone wanting to seek the Lord."

A neighbor, though, said her car was often the only one parked outside the church.

Pastor Steve Palczynsky of the Cedar Hill Church of God in Anadarko said lack of official word is disconcerting and that he's taken extra steps to make sure his church is secure.

"The first thing I thought about, being human, was that maybe it was a serial killer and maybe he has something out for preachers, but the Lord takes care of us," he said.

Tracy Schumpert, pastor of the town's First United Methodist Church, said members of the local clergy will meet Wednesday with Burns to discuss the case.

"It's still very new, and we don't know what to think," she said. "Anything that happens like that, it's a community concern."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090825/ap_on_re_us/us_pastor_killed

[Marian Paroo]

"The first thing I thought about, being human, was that maybe it was a serial killer and maybe he has something out for preachers, but the Lord takes care of us," he said.


:flamemad:I hate that line no matter who says it from what group.

It smacks of PRIDE, which if I remember right, is the 1st of the deadly sins...

[samanthajane13]

Prosecutor warns Okla. clergy after pastor killing
By SEAN MURPHY, Associated Press Writer Sean Murphy, Associated Press Writer – 16 mins ago

ANADARKO, Okla. – Authorities warned pastors in a town where a preacher was brutally killed inside her own church that they should take precautions at their buildings, even as police refused to say exactly what happened.

District Attorney Bret Burns, who described the killing as "horrific," held a closed-door session with about two dozen pastors, along with members of law enforcement. Several pastors who were there said authorities did not discuss any facts of the case.

"We talked about security issues within their churches and their congregations," Burns said. "We asked them to remain vigilant and be aware of their surroundings and their church locations."

He did not say why the meeting was held just with pastors rather than the community at large, or what kind of a threat the clergy might face.

The body of 61-year-old Carol Daniels was found Sunday in the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko. A preliminary autopsy found she died of "multiple sharp force injuries," but law enforcement declined to elaborate and have been tight-lipped about details of the crime or a possible motive.

Burns did not rule out the possibility that the killer specifically targeted a pastor or a church.

"There are a lot of things we're not prepared to rule out," he said. "I'm concerned about the nature of this crime. I'm concerned about the community."

No arrests have been made, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Tracy Schumpert, pastor of the town's First United Methodist Church where the meeting was held, met afterward with a worker from an alarm company.

"I think we'll take precautions," she said. "But I don't feel overly fearful.

"You want your church to be accessible, but you also are aware of what the world is like and you're aware of the people you minister to and take precautions."

Ben Sullivan, executive director of the Christian Center of Anadarko, which runs a soup kitchen and food pantry, said he's not fearful of another attack but plans to tighten security at his facility a few blocks away from where the killing happened. He said the center will probably close before dark and volunteers will work in pairs.

"We're always keeping our eyes open because of the work we do. We deal with people that aren't in the best of situations," he said.

Daniels, who lived in Oklahoma City, made the 60-mile drive to Anadarko every week, even though the small, weather-beaten church had no regular congregation.

On Wednesday, a makeshift memorial of stuffed animals, flowers and a candle stood at the front door of the church, where a sign with Daniels' name read: "God Loves You!"

Randalyn Holder, whose mother lives nearby, rode by the church on her bicycle and stopped to prop a small, wooden cross against the door.

"I never knew her or met her, but I think about the faith she had to come down here every week," she said.

Holder, who works at a local grocery store, said the killing has rattled residents of the town.

"You never hear about anything like that happening here," she said. "I'm not going to hide out or anything, but I'm going to make sure my door is locked at night."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090826/ap_on_re_us/us_pastor_killed

[samanthajane13]

Police: Pastor's body was put into unnatural pose
By SEAN MURPHY, Associated Press Writer Sean Murphy, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 3 mins ago

OKLAHOMA CITY – Whoever killed a pastor inside her small Oklahoma church "staged" the body, authorities said Thursday, meaning it was moved into an unnatural position after the slaying.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown declined to elaborate on how the body of 61-year-old Carol Daniels was positioned inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko.

Brown also said investigators are reviewing video surveillance tapes from a nearby convenience store for clues in the brutal killing. A preliminary autopsy found she died of "multiple sharp force injuries," and a veteran local prosecutor described the crime scene as "the most horrific" he's ever witnessed.

Law enforcement officials have been tightlipped about details of the crime or a possible motive, but held a meeting with pastors in Anadarko warning them to take security precautions at their buildings. Authorities said they have not ruled out the possibility that the killer specifically targeted a pastor or a church.

Brown said that on the video, Daniels' car can be seen pulling up to the church about 10 a.m. Sunday. She declined to say whether any suspect was seen.

"The most they've gleaned from the tape so far is to give them a timeline of when she arrived," Brown said.

A visitor who arrived at the church shortly before noon saw Daniels' car but found the door to the church locked, District Attorney Bret Burns said Thursday. The person walked to the nearby Anadarko police station and notified officers, who discovered Daniels' body. Burns did not identify the visitor.

Burns, who met with local pastors Wednesday, did not say why the meeting was held just with them rather than the community at large, or what kind of a threat the clergy might face.

No arrests have been made and investigators have no suspects, Brown said. The agency is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

"We're still running down leads, conducting interviews and doing all the things we do in a normal investigation," Brown said.

Daniels, who lived in Oklahoma City, made the 60-mile drive to Anadarko every week, even though the small, weather-beaten church had no regular congregation.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090827/ap_on_re_us/us_pastor_killed

[samanthajane13]

Slain pastor remembered as loving woman of God
By ROCHELLE HINES, Associated Press Writer Rochelle Hines, Associated Press Writer – 57 mins ago

OKLAHOMA CITY – As many as 1,000 people packed a church Monday for a nearly three-hour service to celebrate the life of a pastor who was found slain inside her church in southwest Oklahoma and to remember her as a sweet, loving woman of God.

More than a dozen speakers, most who knew her and some who didn't, told mourners at Greater New Zion Baptist Church that Carol Daniels was not just a victim of a violent crime.

"Rain, sleet and snow — she was faithful to the word. Not very many pastors are that committed to their ministry," Elder Steve Taplin said of Daniels, who traveled 60 miles from Oklahoma City every Sunday to the Worthy Temple Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko.

Daniels didn't have a regular congregation and often, she and several others would be the only ones at the church. Still, Daniels would travel to the town and open the small church in case someone needed to pray or hear the word of God.

It was during her Aug. 23 trip, while preparing her sermon, that she was killed, authorities said. An Anadarko police officer found her inside the church after a minister she was supposed to meet became concerned when Daniels didn't answer the door.

According to a forensics expert who reviewed a preliminary autopsy report, Daniels suffered numerous gashes to her neck and throat, as well as stab wounds to her chest, back, stomach and hands. Her body was moved into an unnatural position after she was killed, investigators have said.

Daniels' brother, Ivan Henderson, told mourners to pray for three things.

"Pray so that we can forgive the person who did this," said Henderson, a minister who lives in Cleveland. "Pray that God gives favor to the police and the investigators, that God gives them strength."

Henderson also urged mourners to pray that the person or people who killed his sister be caught so they could not kill again.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. It has asked FBI experts in fields like behavioral science to help find the killer or killers.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090901/ap_on_re_us/us_pastor_killed