Appellate court upholds Toledo priest s conviction in nun s death

7/11/2008
BLADE STAFF
<img src=http://www.toledoblade.com/graphics/icons/audio.gif> <font color=red><b>AUDIO</b></font>: <a href=Robinson's attorney
VIEW: Gerald Robinson trial photos
VIEW: 6th District Court of Appeals 95-page decision
THE VERDICT: Priest found guilty (May 12, 2006)
VIEW: David Yonke speaking about Sins, Shame, Secrets " rel="storyimage1" title="Appellate-court-upholds-Toledo-priest-s-conviction-in-nun-s-death.jpg"/>
&lt;img src=http://www.toledoblade.com/graphics/icons/audio.gif&gt; &lt;font color=red&gt;&lt;b&gt;AUDIO&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot; /assets/wav/TO50206711.WAV&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Robinson's attorney&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;img src=http://www.toledoblade.com/graphics/icons/photo.gif&gt; &lt;font color=red&gt;&lt;b&gt;VIEW&lt;/font color=red&gt;&lt;/b&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot; /apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=TO&Dato=20080711&Kategori=NEWS02&Lopenr=870211730&Ref=PH&quot; target=&quot;_blank &quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Gerald Robinson trial photos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt; &lt;img src=http://www.toledoblade.com/assets/gif/TO17150419.GIF&gt; &lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=red&gt;VIEW&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font color=red&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot; /assets/pdf/TO50185711.PDF&quot; target=&quot;_blank &quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;6th District Court of Appeals 95-page decision&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt; &lt;img src=http://www.toledoblade.com/assets/gif/weblink_icon.gif&gt; &lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=red&gt;THE VERDICT&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font color=red&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot; /apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060512/NEWS02/605120420&quot; target=&quot;_blank &quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Priest found guilty&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (May 12, 2006) &lt;br&gt; &lt;img src=http://www.toledoblade.com/assets/gif/TO1599743.GIF&gt; &lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=red&gt;VIEW: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font color=red&gt; David Yonke speaking about &lt;a href=http://www.toledoblade.com/assets/wmv/TO9422107.WMV&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sins, Shame, Secrets&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;

The 6th District Court of Appeals has upheld the 2006 murder conviction of Toledo priest Gerald Robinson.

In a 95-page decision released Friday, the appellate judges ruled that Robinson received a fair trial and ruled against a variety of other claim s by his attorneys.

Defense attorneys had argued that the priest was denied a fair trial, largely because of a 24-year gap between the murder and the priest s arrest.

Robinson is serving 15 years to life in prison. He was convicted of killing Sister Margaret Ann on April 5, 1980 Holy Saturday in the sacristy of the former Mercy Hospital near downtown Toledo. The 71-year-old nun was choked nearly to death, then stabbed 31 times in the chest, neck, and face.

Robinson was arrested by the county s cold-case squad in April, 2004, and convicted in Lucas County Common Pleas Court on May 11, 2006.

Prosecutors argued during the priest s trial that a letter opener found in the apartment shortly after the nun s death was the murder weapon.