Police arrest worker in priest's death [Mexico]

NUEVO LAREDO - A man has been arrested in the death of an Austin priest whose body was found Sunday along a Mexican highway.

Manuel Martin Torres Saldaña is charged with murder in the death of Father Jesse Evans Euresti, 69, pastor of Cristo Reye Catholic Church in Austin.

Euresti's body was discovered south of Nuevo Laredo, along the highway to Anahuac, Sunday afternoon but the identity was not confirmed until Monday.

Police say Torres called Euresti's sister, Raquel Rios, over the weekend telling her that if she deposited 1,000 pesos (about $72) in a designated bank account in the state of Chiapas he would tell her the location of her brother's body. She made the deposit, police said, and once Torres collected the amount on Sunday, he gave her the location. She called police, and they found Euresti's body in an advanced state of decomposition at the site.

The deposit was made to Banco Azteca, a nationwide company that acts much like Western Union, allowing someone to make a deposit into a recipient's account at any Banco Azteca office if he or she has the code for the account. The recipient can then collect the money at another of the company's offices, which are open seven days a week. Mexican police said they spoke to officials at Banco Azteca to help find Torres. He was arrested in Chiapas.

Torres, who worked for the priest at his home in Nuevo Laredo, is accused of killing the priest with a knife and machete Tuesday, March 31, the day he was to return to Austin. A motive has not been released.

Family say the priest was off on Mondays and Tuesday, and frequently spent that time in Nuevo Laredo, fixing up his home, where he planned to retire. He went to Nuevo Laredo as usual the week of his death, but was reported missing when he didn't return Tuesday as expected.

Police found signs of a major struggle at the priest's home in Nuevo Laredo, including blood stains and a bloody knife, and his family feared the worst.

Euresti grew up in Austin in the area served by the church he pastored. He was a priest for more than 40 years.

UPDATE: Cristo Rey congregation prays for murdered priest

4/7/2009 9:26 PM

By: Bob Robuck

Rev. Jesse Euresti was murdered last Tuesday in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

Parishioners at Cristo Rey church, where Rev. Jesse Euresti presided, prayed a rosary for him Tuesday night.

A lot of controversy surrounds his death in Nuevo Laredo, where Euresti was preparing a home for his retirement.

Media reports out of Mexico said the priest’s accused killer, Manuel Martin Torres Saldaña, confessed he killed Father Jesse in a fit of rage, and that the two were intimate.

“It is a great surprise to me,” Bishop Gregory Aymond of the Catholic Diocese of Austin said. “We will investigate that matter as we do all those types of allegations. And if it is true, we will speak the truth, and if not. We certainly want to clear the name of Father Jesse for his sake and for the sake of his family and for the parishioners.”

Despite the uncertainty of the allegations, many church members were simply sad to see their priest come to such a tragic end.

“It’s a sad thing for all of us, but we’re very, very happy to have him here with us, to keep him here with us, bury him,” parishioner Jackie Hipolito said.

Those in attendance Tuesday said they believed in Euresti, who grew up in this church, and later came back to lead it.

“Look at the people around you,” parishioner Hasse Luna said. “We were just blessed with a person of his caliber, that he’s a very good person.”

A funeral mass is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Cristo Rey. The family will hold a private burial Thursday morning.

http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=237232

http://www.statesman.com/search/content/gen/ap/LT_Mexico_US_Priest_Killed.html

(Statesman.com >>> Jesse Euresti)

Don’t know if this link will work but....

Turns out, the Rev and his caretaker were lovers. Apparently the Rev found someone new and was kicking the caretaker out after many years of an *intimate* relationship.

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