Feliciano Breaks Down on the Stand

Accused murderer Jose Feliciano lost control twice while under cross examination Tuesday morning while Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi asked him about the death of the Rev. Edward Hinds.

Questions during cross examination Tuesday revolved for a time around a black bag in the style of a fanny pack, which Feliciano said he brought to work with him every day and left in the parish center at St. Patrick Church while he worked as a custodian.

Bianchi asked Feliciano if he was wearing a red jacket on Oct. 22, 2009, the day Hinds died. "You went to the parish center, and started opening drawers," he said, repeating testimony from last week.

"Yes, sir," answered Feliciano.

"And you eventually killed Father Ed," Bianchi said.

Feliciano paused several moments until the Hon. Thomas V. Manahan, hearing the case, asked him to respond. "Yes, sir," Feliciano said. His voice was high and cracking, and he kept his face down as his shoulders shook slightly. He eventually regained control.

"Did you have your black bag?" Bianchi asked. Feliciano responded that it was in the parish center, where he leaves it all day.

Bianchi then asked to recall a statement given to Capt. Jeffrey Paul of the prosecutor's office, in which he describes cleaning up the scene of the murder. Feliciano said he told Paul he collected the evidence of the murder, which included the knife used to stab Hinds, several towels used to clean up Hinds' blood from the rectory kitchen, Hinds' mobile phone and the attaching head set. "I told Captain Paul that I put everything in a bag and took it to [my wife's] van," Feliciano said.

In the transcript, when Paul asks what bag he used, Feliciano answers, "I have a black bag."

Bianchi presented Feliciano with a black bag, introduced into evidence, which Feliciano said was his. The bag had a top which zips open and straps wide enough to fit around a waist. Bianchi asked if this was the bag he was referring to in his statement to Paul.

"I found a black bag in the garbage [in the rectory]," Feliciano said. "A shopping bag."

When Bianchi said "that wasn't what you told Capt. Paul," Feliciano became agitated. "Do you see any blood in here?" he said loudly, motioning to the bag. "Don't tell me I used that bag. Do you see any blood in that bag?"

Feliciano continued to yell at the prosecutor as Manahan tried to gain his attention. "He's trying to say something else," Feliciano said.

Manahan sent the jury out of the courtroom as Feliciano began to cry. Bailiffs escorted him back to the defense table and his attorneys gave him a cup of water.

Bianchi told Manahan Feliciano's "demeanor in front of the jury is relevant." Manahan responded, "I have a duty to control the conduct of this courtroom. Part of that is making sure the witness is responsive. He was not ... I know this is an emotional case, and emotions are running high," but "I would tell counsel to remember where they are."

After a brief break in the proceedings, court reconvened and Feliciano again took the stand. Under cross examination, he told Bianchi he had put the towels and other items "into a garbage bag, but not into [his] own black bag."

Bianchi asked how his black bag had gotten from the parish center to his wife's van. "She went and got it. She always does that, sir," he said.

"Nowhere in your testimony did you indicate your wife went to get that black bag," Bianchi said. Feliciano countered, "nobody asked me."

Bianchi introducted a photograph of a yellow plastic bag, lying in a grassy area, containing bloody towels. The jury has already heard testimony that the plastic bag containing evidence from the murder scene was found in a park adjacent to Feliciano's home, and that the defendant disposed of evidence in that park while walking the family dog after he came home on Oct. 22, 2009.

"Explain to me how that's black," Bianchi said.

Feliciano shrugged as he said, "I thought it was black."

Bianchi then asked Feliciano to describe the confrontation with the knife that occurred just before Hinds was killed. Feliciano said he took the knife from the rectory kitchen, brought it to the parish center, brought it back to the rectory and put it on the table. He then said Hinds took the knife and "I took it from him and I sliced his hand."

"Did he pick it up by the blade or by the handle?" Bianchi asked.

"I don't remember," Feliciano said.

Feliciano said "through the whole conversation I was crying," and as he approached Hinds with the knife the two started rolling around on the kitchen floor.

"How many times had you stabbed him [by then]?" asked Bianchi.

"I don't know."

"Where did you stab him?"

"I think I stabbed him in the hand," Feliciano said.

Bianchi asked Feliciano to stand up and show the jury how he approached Hinds with the knife. Feliciano stood in a crouched way, and quickly sat down again.

"What happened when you stabbed him?" Bianchi asked.

"I don't remember, sir. I know that I stabbed him. I don't remember how many times."

"Do you remember him screaming saying 'Stop, I won't fire you'?"

Feliciano said, "I believe he say that sir, but I don't remember."

In afternoon testimony, Bianchi asked about where Feliciano cleaned after Hinds died. "I cleaned up the blood," Feliciano said. "I cleaned everywhere."

Bianchi showed photos of the rectory kitchen and in particular of a utensil drawer, which holds sharp knives. The drawer, Bianchi showed, had no blood on the outside of the drawer, but there was blood on the side of the drawer. Feliciano admitted he cleaned the handle of the drawer but did not see the blood on the side.

"Why did you open the drawer?" Bianchi asked.

"I just did," Feliciano said. "I just went in there, sir."

Bianchi then introduced into evidence a knife rivet found near Hinds' body. He showed the knife found in the park near Feliciano's home to the defendant. "This knife has all its rivets, doesn't it?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," answered Feliciano.

Bianchi pointed Feliciano to a portion of his statement to Paul where he said the knife he used to kill Hinds had a brown handle. "What color is the handle of this knife here?" he said, indicating the knife again.

Feliciano took off his glasses to look. "Black," he answered.

"Why did you say it was brown?"

Feliciano paused, then said, "I probably just said it, sir."

Bianchi then asked, "Did you use a second knife that broke?" He asked if Feliciano had used a brown-handled knife which lost its rivets and broke, and went into the drawer to get a new knife and continue stabbing Hinds.

"No," Feliciano said. "There was only one knife, sir."

Court adjourned at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and will resume Monday afternoon.