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African-American Pastor Ritually Murdered in Oklahoma: Hate Crime Victim?
Was an African- American pastor in Oklahoma the victim of a ritualistic hate crime killing? Well, authorities have warned pastors in a town where a preacher was brutally killed inside her church that they should take precautions at their buildings. Police have not shared with the public precisely what happened. She tried to fight off her attacker before her throat was slashed and she was nearly decapitated, according to a forensics expert who reviewed a preliminary autopsy report on Friday.
District Attorney Bret Burns, who described the killing as “horrific,” is said to have held a closed-door session with about 24 pastors, along with members of law enforcement. Several pastors who were there said authorities did not discuss any facts of the case.
“We talked about security issues within their churches and their congregations,” Burns said. “We asked them to remain vigilant and be aware of their surroundings and their church locations.”
He did not say why the meeting was held just with pastors rather than the community at large, or what kind of a threat the clergy might face.
The corpse of 61-year-old Carol Daniels was found last Sunday in the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko. Law enforcement declined to elaborate and have been tight-lipped about details of the crime or a possible motive.
The DA told The Oklahoman newspaper that Daniels was killed between 10 a.m. and noon Sunday, while preparing her sermon. He did not rule out the possibility that the killer specifically targeted a pastor or a church. “There are a lot of things we’re not prepared to rule out,” he said. “I’m concerned about the nature of this crime. I’m concerned about the community.”
No arrests have been made, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Howard Kurtz, a local criminology professor told reporters that after seeing the medical examiner’s autopsy notes, it appeared Pastor Carol Daniels put up a fight. “The marks on her hands are defensive looking marks as if she was trying to defend herself from an attacker. It looks like she put up a pretty good fight,” said Kurtz.
Rumors of a cult killing are still circulating in Anadarko and on Thursday, according to News 9 in Oklahoma. Investigators confirmed that Daniels’ body was staged.
“It could be a thrill killing, somebody who wants to make a name for himself or somebody who thinks this would be a fun thing to do. It could be revenge. The fact that she was stabbed so many times would often mean that this could be a domestic case,” Kurtz said.
Investigators have said that whoever killed Daniels posed her body in an unnatural position, or “staged” it, but have declined to elaborate. The staging of the body is extremely rare, according to Dr. William Manion, a forensic pathologist and deputy medical examiner in Burlington County, N.J., who spoke with the Associated Press. “It’s something to repel and nauseate people, something very shocking to try and upset people investigating the crime,” he said.
Oklahoma is home to the 1921 Tulsa race riots, which left a total of 301 dead African Americans after two days of violence and arson directed by whites against African American neighborhoods. Hundreds were injured, and more than 1500 African American owned homes and 600 businesses were destroyed. Also destroyed in the African American neighborhoods were 21 churches, 21 restaurants, 30 stores, 2 movie theaters, a hospital, a bank, the post office, libraries, and schools.
See also: Murdered Pastor Found Naked in 'Crucifix Position' Inside Church
