Beloved Catholic priest found slain in California church rectory
Source: cnn
A beloved Roman Catholic priest was found dead Wednesday in his church's rectory, spurring police to launch a murder investigation and those he touched to try to make sense of his sudden passing.
Local and state authorities remained at St. Bernard Church -- one of two in the coastal Northern California city situated 275 miles north of San Francisco where he was the sole pastor -- late Wednesday processing the crime scene and following up on tips, Mills said.
Those efforts include looking for Freed's vehicle, a 2010 Nissan Altima. The police chief said that authorities had no solid leads
SNIP
His ties to Humbodt State went back even longer. A guest lecturer, Freed wrote a book about the first atomic bomb and also taught about the New Testament, connecting with Christians and non-Christians alike.
"He was very well respected, very well liked and had a tremendous working knowledge as well as academic knowledge," Cunha said. "... To think that he passed in this way: It's just layers of grief and shock."
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(CNN) -- A beloved Roman Catholic priest was found dead Wednesday in his church's rectory, spurring police to launch a murder investigation and those he touched to try to make sense of his sudden passing.
Eureka, California, Police Chief Andy Mills said officers -- responding to a call from staff at St. Bernard Church -- first came across the victim around 9 a.m. Wednesday. He did not elaborate on how the death occurred, adding Wednesday night that there were no suspects.
Mayor Frank Jager identified the victim as the Rev. Eric Freed, whom he called a personal friend and a "tremendous person in this community" since his arrival three years ago. The St. Bernard Parish website featured a cross and the words, "Rest in Peace," above Freed's name.
"He was a really, genuinely warm individual," said professor Stephen Cunha, the chairman of Humboldt University's religious studies department where Freed taught for more than 10 years. "... Kind is the word that comes to mind, sensitive."
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I grew up in the Church with many wonderful priests and nuns and to label them all as evil child molesters is just wrong. I know, I know there were some and the church covered it up, but most of clergy were good people IMO.
those two words always make me chuckle 
According to the Eureka Police Chief, the suspect is now in custody. He was arrested around 1pm.
Eureka, California, Police Chief Andy Mills did not give a suspected motive for the killing, but described a series of run-ins with the law that Bullock had in the hours before Freed's death.
On New Year's Eve, deputies responded to reports of a person "acting strangely" in southern Humboldt County. Bullock was arrested for public intoxication, but because of his erratic behavior was taken to a hospital for an evaluation. He was eventually booked in jail that afternoon.
Bullock was released in the early morning hours of January 1, and less than two hours later police made contact with him again regarding a report of a suspicious person, Mills said.
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At some point in the hours after that, a guard at Freed's church found a person matching Bullock's description on the premises and told him to leave the property, police said.
Police have issued an arrest warrant for Gary Lee Bullock.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/02/us/california-priest-killed/