BURKE COUNTY, Ga. – The suspect in the killing of St. Johns County priest, Rene Robert, was ordered held without bond Wednesday afternoon in Burke County, Georgia, on a charge of malice murder.
Bond for Steven Murray could be set by a Superior Court judge at a later date.
Murray didn't say much at the hearing, but spoke freely as he was being led from the courthouse by the sheriff.
"I have mental problems and I lost control of myself," Murray told reporters as he was being led out of the courthouse.
"If anyone loved Father Rene, they will forgive me because he was a man of God, and forgiveness is forgiveness," Murray said.
UNCUT: Murray talks as escorted from court
Gil Smith, News4Jax crime analyst, said a defense lawyer would not have been happy about what Murray said.
"If he does have an attorney, he’s not listening to him. He really shouldn’t be doing that. Any attorney would advise him not to say anything because that could be played back in court, hurts public image," Smith said.
Burke County Sheriff Greg Coursey said Wednesday that an autopsy showed that the victim found in the Burke County woods died of multiple gunshot wounds. Due to the condition of the body after more than a week in the woods, the coroner could not positively confirm that the remains were those of Robert. Dental records were being expedited from Florida to help confirm the identity.
Smith said there are reasons why the body may be unidentifiable after about a week after the suspected murder.
"He could’ve beaten him to the point where he’s not recognized. Also being exposed to the elements in a wooded area, also being in a wooded area, there could have been animals that had eaten away at the body. So it’s not really unusual," Smith said.
Smith said there are other options as well.
"They can always do a DNA test. That’s a possibility, and that would take a few days to get back. Dental records are some of the best ways because that stays intact better then most of the body’s parts. That is if a dentist has results of most recent visits."
Robert's sister said Wednesday that once law enforcement officials releases the remains, his funeral will be held in Albany, New York.
VIEW: Diocese of St. Augustine's Father Rene webpage
Coursey said Murray guided St. Johns County and Jacksonville deputies Monday evening to a wooded area south of Augusta, where they found what they believe to be Robert's body.
Murray has an extensive criminal history and also faces charges of aggravated fleeing in St. Johns County and could face a kidnapping charge from Jacksonville.
Coursey said Murray was interviewed Tuesday afternoon by local deputies, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and detectives from Jacksonville and St. Johns County. Coursey said he couldn't release any details of what he said right now, but GBI Special Agent Pat Morgan did say investigators got useful information from him.
"I will tell you that he was very relaxed. He spoke with us. He answered our questions," Morgan said. "That's basically the best I can describe it."
Monday night, St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar said he believes that Robert was killed sometime between 8 and 11 p.m. April 10 in Georgia.
Robert, 71, was last seen April 10 and was reported missing after he didn't attend a parishioner's funeral two days later. His car was found last week after Murray crashed into a tree and was arrested nearby. Murray was extradited to St. Johns County on charges of aggravated fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement, and was held there until Monday.
"The suspect reached out to a detective and began sharing information," Shoar said at a news conference Monday night. "He wanted to tell us where the body was."
Murray's ex-girlfriend glad he's out of her life
Aiken, South Carolina, resident Brandy Wilson said she had two children with Murray, but she wanted to keep her past with him in the past.
But when Murray returned to Aiken last week and crashed the priest's car into a tree before he was arrested, she saw him on television, smiling and waving at a court appearance. She said that past flooded back into her life.
"Seeing him smile like that, and wave for the camera, it really made me sick," Wilson told WRDW-TV.
Wilson said she doesn't want any part in what's happening for her family's sake. While she granted an interview, she didn't want her face shown.
"I've been doing good on my own and I really don't want to worry about him honestly," said Wilson.
Wilson did tell us a little about their past together.
"We constantly were bickering and fighting over stuff. Like how I thought he always thought life was a joke, it was funny and it made me mad, especially with my first," said Wilson.
Wilson said she has no ties to and no control over her former boyfriend.
"I can't control anybody else's life except my own and for right now my two kids," Wilson said.