Prosecutor to Feliciano: Why Stay at St. Pat's?

In aggressive questioning Thursday afternoon, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi grilled Jose Feliciano about his hand-written resume and, in a long sequence, orchestrated a near step-by-step description of the scuffle in the rectory kitchen at in Chatham that led to the fatal stabbing of the Rev. Edward Hines.

Bianchi also challenged Feliciano to explain why he remained working at St. Patrick, where, he had testified, that Hines was sexually abusing him, rather than take a job at another parish.

With a transcript of testimony that Feliciano gave Capt. Jeffrey Paul, of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, as a guide, Bianchi challenged Feliciano's recollection of where he picked up the knife used in the stabbing.

The trial was delayed briefly at the start of the afternoon session to question a juror about a question he asked a court assistant at the end of the morning session as the jury was being escorted to the jury room.

Superior Court Judge Thomas V.Manahan said the juror asked where Feliciano was kept during lunch breaks.

Manahan said the court assistant did not respond, but reported the incident.
The judge said the court makes every effort to shield the jury from viewing defendants in orange jump suits issued at the county jail or in handcuffs or other shackles.

The concern, the judge said, was whether the juror discussed the matter with other jurors.

At issue was whether to dismiss the juror, if he was found to have discussed his question with others on the panel, or if so, whether to dismiss the entire jury.

After a brief consultation with the juror while all other jurors were out of the courtroom, the trial resumed.

When testimony began, Bianchi asked Feliciano about a possible job he was offered.

"Why, when you said that Father Ed was sexually assaulting you, were you not looking for another job?" Bianchi asked.

Feliciano said he wanted to stay at St. Patrick until he retired, and that his daughter attended school at St. Patrick.

"You chose to stay where you had a sexually abusive boss?" Bianchi said. "Didn't the parish priest do to you there what you testified another parish priest did to you as a child?"

Feliciano said, "It was different this time. I wanted to keep the job."

Bianchi honed in, "You made a choice. You could have gone to a job at a church where your daughter could have attended school and you would not be abused."

Feliciano said, "I just wanted to finish the job there."

While examining Feliciano's resume, Bianchi questioned the mention of Feliciano's hobbies, including acting.

"If I had been an actor, I would not be here," Feliciano said.

Bianchi asked him to repeat that comment.

"If I was an actor, I would not  be here, I'd  have a better life," Feliciano said.

Bianchi asked, "Do you mean that you would not be here, you would not be here in a murder case?"

Feliciano said, "Don't say that, please."

Bianchi also questioned Feliciano about how the janitor could have received 60 credits at Adelphi University when it was not clear if he had graduated from high school. Feliciano admitted he had finished only junior high school.

Bianchi questioned every job Feliciano listed back to the 1960s. The prosecutor got Feliciano to testify that the duties assigned to him in those jobs did not actually match the titles listed on the resume.

Asked if he speaks and writes English, Feliciano said he speaks English well, but does not write it well. The resume, he said, was written by another person.

Bianchi then focused on where Feliciano picked up the knife used to stab Hines.
Feliciano testified that the priest asked him to come to the rectory at the end of his workday. Bianchi asked Felicinao if he was upset because he had already been told he was going to lose his job, but Feliciano said he was just tired after a long day at work and sick.

Relying on the transcript of Feliciano's testimony to Paul, Bianchi pointed out that Feliciano said he left the rectory to get the knife, but Feliciano insisted that the knife was in the rectory.

Then reading from the  transcript, Bianchi described the fight that ended Hines' life, how the pair of men grappled, how Feliciano said he stabbed the priest, the knife fell to the floor, how at one point Hines held the knife, and then Feliciano told Paul he stabbed Hines several times.

Feliciano said he had the knife in the rectory, and at one point before the fatal event, left the rectory with the knife and then returned.

Bianchi then asked Feliciano if he understood that the janitor could not testify that he brought the knife to the rectory because of what that would mean to his defense, "that you brought the knife to the fight."

Feliciano said, "the knife was in the rectory."