Slain Pastor Had Tried To Help Suspect
INDIANAPOLIS - Even after Sean Rich was blamed for thefts at the Northside Presbyterian Church, the Rev. C. Frederick Mathias didn't tell police - he tried to help the teenager.
Police now say the 16-year-old boy used an ax to kill Mathias and his wife more than a year ago. Rich and Paul Brightman, 18, were arrested yesterday on two preliminary murder charges and one count of robbery.
Police said Brightman confessed.
"This has been weighing on (Brightman) for a long time," Detective John Gray said.
Gray said Brightman detailed the crime after he was busted for allegedly dealing drugs from his home Monday night.
Police had found little to link Rich to the slayings because of a fire apparently set to cover the killers' tracks.
Gray said firefighters may have inadvertently washed away evidence while putting out the blaze.
The minister's body was found near the family Christmas tree on Dec. 15, 1996.
His wife, Cleta, also died from an ax blow. Both were tied up.
Brightman allegedly told police that Rich killed the Mathiases after the couple walked into their home during an attempted burglary.
Rich will be charged as an adult, authorities said.
He won't be eligible for the death penalty if convicted because he was 15 at the time of the murders, said Beverly Phillips, a spokeswoman for Marion County prosecutors.
The Rev. Ronald Smith, who took over the congregation in June, said the boy's troubles were well known among church members.
Mathias confronted Rich several times about the thefts but didn't turn him in to police and believed his denials that he was not involved.
"The Rich family couldn't have asked for a better pastor than Fred Mathias," Smith said.
Former associate pastor Donna Wells said the deaths wouldn't deter congregation members from reaching out to try to help other troubled youths.
Wells said the church wanted no revenge against the two but hoped they would find peace and reconciliation.
"It's what we're called to do. God's call is stronger," she said.