Inverted cross on slain nun may be meant to mock God, expert says

Jurors saw a 90-minute video of the Rev. Gerald Robinson's interview with police.
TOLEDO (AP) -- Investigators say stab wounds on the chest of a nun slain in a hospital chapel in 1980 formed an upside-down cross, a symbol that an expert on Roman Catholic law and the occult testified Monday has been used in satanic worship.
According to tradition, St. Peter asked to be crucified on an inverted cross because he believed he didn't deserve to die in the same manner as Jesus, said the Rev. Jeffrey Grob, associate vicar for canonical services in the Chicago archdiocese. But the same symbol also has been used to mock the Catholic religion, he said.
"Any way you look at it, it's an affront to God," he said.
Charge
The Rev. Gerald Robinson, 68, is accused of killing Sister Margaret Ann Pahl, 71, in a hospital chapel the day before Easter, a significant Catholic holy day that is part of three days of services, the Rev. Mr. Grob said.
Mr. Grob said only a priest, nun or seminary student would understand the significance of the inverted cross and other aspects of the crime scene, including a small streak of blood on the nun's forehead that could have been made by someone forming the sign of the cross on her head.
"You're taking a person who's devoted to God and in every aspect, it's a mockery," Mr. Grob said, referring to the wounds and marks on the body. "These aren't random acts."
In addition to the stab wounds on her chest, previous prosecution witnesses have testified that the nun's body was displayed in a ritualistic fashion with her arms and legs straight.
Mr. Grob also said an altar cloth placed over Sister Pahl's chest before she was stabbed is viewed as a symbol of sacrifice.
Under defense questioning, Mr. Grob acknowledged he had never before seen a crime scene and that there were doctors and nurses who may have changed Sister Pahl's position. He also agreed when defense lawyer John Thebes said the blood on Sister Pahl's forehead didn't necessarily mean someone made the sign of the cross.
Video
Prosecutors also showed jurors a 90-minute video of the Rev. Mr. Robinson's interview with police just after he was arrested in April 2004. In it, Mr. Robinson said he woke up and had finished showering when he received a phone call about Sister Pahl's death.
During the interview with Tom Ross, an investigator with the Lucas County prosecutor's office, Mr. Robinson maintained that he was nowhere near the crime scene.
"I was not there," he said.
Mr. Robinson also told Ross that the hospital's other chaplain, the Rev. Jerome Swiatecki, accused him of committing the murder.
Mr. Robinson said he was stunned when he walked into the sacristy and the Rev. Swiatecki turned around and said, "Why did you do this?" Mr. Robinson said he did not know why the other priest pointed the finger at him.
At one point in the video, Ross left the room and Mr. Robinson folded his hands and began speaking in a barely audible voice. He whispered the word "sister," but the rest of what he said was unclear.
He then prayed again with his head bowed, at one point saying, "Oh my Jesus."
Letter opener
Prosecutors, who likely will wrap up their case this week, are heavily leaning on the chaplain's letter opener they say was used to kill Sister Pahl and the bloody altar cloth, which was found in the chapel. So far, no witnesses have placed Mr. Robinson near the chapel at the time of the killing, and DNA evidence hasn't linked him to scene, either.
Mr. Robinson and Sister Pahl, the chapel caretaker, worked closely at Mercy Hospital. He presided over the funeral of the nun, who also had been choked.
He was a suspect early on because his living quarters were near the chapel but he wasn't charged until two years ago when authorities reopened the case.
Mr. Robinson could get life in prison if convicted of murder.