Janitor Rejects Plea Deal in Priest Slaying

A 66-year-old janitor accused of stabbing a New Jersey priest to death in 2009 has rejected a plea deal that would have resulted in a 30-year incarceration, reports the Parsippany, N.J., Daily Record.

Jose Feliciano, a resident of Easton, Pa., told investigators he was having an affair with the Reverend Edward Hinds and that he killed the priest because the cleric had threatened to fire Feliciano if he ended the relationship. Prosecutors say Feliciano, a married father of two, concocted the story because Hinds was about to fire Feliciano after discovering the janitor had once been charged with touching a child sexually.

Feliciano faces seven charges in the case, including two murder charges, and he was offered the 30-year sentence in exchange for a guilty plea to one of the murder charges, but he refused. He is due to stand trial in September and could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.