Browne wrong again and the police pay: Hunter Horgan

The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
September 14, 1997 Sunday METRO EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 1B
HEADLINE: Psychic gives police clues into priest's 1992 slaying
BYLINE: JOHN MCMILLAN, RIVER PARISHES BUREAU
DATELINE: THIBODAUX

BODY:
THIBODAUX - A little more than five years ago, the body of the Rev. Hunter Horgan III was found lying face-down in a pool of blood in the business office of St. John's Episcopal Church.

A California psychic hired by the Thibodaux Police Department now says the priest was killed by a "young mulatto" homosexual who was enraged by Hunter's rejection of his advances.

"Someone was in love with the minister and he (the minister) wasn't predisposed to be in love with a man," Sylvia Browne of Campbell, Calif., said in a telephone interview last week. "He (the minister) said, 'I was just helping you. I wasn't in love with you,' and in a rage, he killed him.

"The priest was trying to help him."

Police believe Horgan died in the late afternoon of Aug. 12, 1992.

Police Capt. Mike Martin said Horgan was stabbed and beaten into unconsciousness, and bled to death.

Unable to solve the slaying of the popular Episcopal priest after five years, Martin got the idea of involving Browne after seeing her on the "Montel Williams Show," during one of her many guest appearances on television programs.
...
Martin said, "She gave us some pretty good information that we're looking into. She pointed us in the direction of the type of individual and told us what she believes happened prior to the homicide. "

"We were very impressed," Estevens said.

"This psychic is a police tool that we're using. Our investigation is a compilation of all our tools. "
...

He said he has no idea how Browne does it. Neither does Browne.

"I've been doing it all my life," Browne said. "It's like breathing.
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Browne, who does law enforcement work pro bono, unless it's a rush job, found the body of a murder victim for an agency in Pennsylvania and gave the FBI a description and the names of the perpetrators of the World Trade Center bombing.

The Thibodaux Police Department paid $ 400 for a half-hour consultation with Browne because, her secretary Larry Beck, said, "They wanted it right away."

Estevens said the police use a lot of tools in trying to solve crimes. As for using Browne, he said, "I didn't have a problem with it. I have no qualms about it. "
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"Somebody with the street name of 'King' directed gang people to do it," she said. However, the psychic with a master's degree in English literature would not give the name of Horgan's killer because she said she is concerned about the ethics of doing so. "The guy hasn't even changed his name," she said.

"I think he's still around," she said of Horgan's killer.

"He thinks he's free from anybody knowing who he is. It's weird how psychotics hang around the scene.

"I expect him to get caught. They're gonna get him. "

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The Advocate
December 8, 2006 Friday
SECTION: A; Pg. 01
HEADLINE: Serial-killer investigators look at 1992 priest slaying
BYLINE: DAVID J. MITCHELL; Florida parishes bureau
BODY:

Thibodaux police are re-examining evidence from the unsolved 1992 slaying of an Episcopal priest to see if accused serial killer Ronald J. Dominique was the murderer, the city's police chief said Thursday.

Police Chief Craig Melancon said the method of the priest's killing is not the same as what Dominique has reportedly confessed to doing to 23 men across southeast Louisiana.

But Dominique - born and raised in Thibodaux - was working at a now-closed florist shop at the time of the 1992 killing just yards from where the priest's body was found in the church's parish hall.

The Rev. Hunter Horgan III, the 47-year-old rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, was beaten with an undetermined weapon and stabbed. He bled to death and was found the next day in a pool of blood. Evidence does not show Horgan was raped, Melancon said.
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The priest's murder more than 14 years ago spurred parishioners and family members to offer a $20,000 reward. Later, police enlisted the help of the FBI and a California psychic, but to no avail.

Mary Katherine Blackburn, the senior church warden, said her congregation would like to see his murder finally solved.

"I think it would be nice to know it is done," Blackburn said.

She said she doesn't know whether the church bought flowers from the shop where police say Dominique worked.
...

Melancon, who was an investigator in Horgan's case, said the priest was married and had children and was not known to be homosexual.

Officers interviewed employees at the florist shop at the time, Melancon said. He couldn't say for sure whether Dominique was questioned, but added that he was never a suspect.

Investigators are seeing whether forensic evidence collected from that crime scene can be connected to Dominique, Melancon said.

"It's a matter of waiting to see how the evidence plays out," he said.

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Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
March 1, 2004 Monday
SECTION: METRO; UPDATE: Newsmakers revisited; Pg. 1
HEADLINE: Thibodaux priest's killer is still sought;
Aug. 14, 1992;
Thibodaux priest dies in beating; was Episcopal rector in N.O. for many years
BYLINE: By Bob Ussery; Staff writer

BODY:
Eleven years have passed since the Rev. Hunter Horgan III was murdered, but his siblings haven't lost hope the killer will be caught. In fact, they are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment.

A Metairie resident, Horgan, 47, was beaten and stabbed to death Aug. 13, 1992, in the office of St. John's Episcopal Church in Thibodaux. He commuted daily to the church where he was rector, having worked earlier in his career in New Orleans at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Lakeview and Trinity Episcopal Church on Jackson Avenue.

Horgan's wallet and gray 1990 Toyota were taken -- the car was recovered in Thibodaux hours later -- but there were no signs of forced entry and police decided robbery probably was not the motive for the killing.
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The victim's sister, Jon Kemp, of New Orleans and Dauphin Island, Ala., said Horgan was "just such a wonderful, incredible human being, and he helped so many people.

"Everybody loved Hunter," she said. "He was feisty and opinionated. He was a wonderful preacher, because he made the Bible come alive, particularly to young people."

The Rev. Gedge Gayle, rector of St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Metairie, remembered Horgan as an "energetic and delightful" man.

Horgan left behind his wife, a son, a stepson, a daughter, two stepdaughters, his mother, a brother, and two sisters.

Kemp is hoping media attention to the case will jog someone's memory. "Some person may read it and recall an event or person," she said.

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Browne, who does law enforcement work pro bono, unless it's a rush job,

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RSLancastr said:

I sense an article...

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NobbyNobbs said:

What law enforcement work would she be doing that wasn't a rush job?

"We're really interested in finding out who the murderer is, Ms. Browne, but we understand that you have a list of people who need to contact their dead relatives, so just fit us in where you can."

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RSLancastr said:

I sense an article...

Click to expand...

RSLancastr said:

I sense an article...

Click to expand...

NobbyNobbs said:

What law enforcement work would she be doing that wasn't a rush job?

"We're really interested in finding out who the murderer is, Ms. Browne, but we understand that you have a list of people who need to contact their dead relatives, so just fit us in where you can."

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JoeTheJuggler said:

I'd love to see a broadcast TV show devoted to debunking psychics. If the ratings slimeballs want, they could do everything in that confrontational style (the way Inside Edition did recently with Popoff).

Wouldn't it be cool to have psychics start fighting like the trailer trash on Jerry Springer?

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JoeTheJuggler said:

I'd love to see a broadcast TV show devoted to debunking psychics. If the ratings slimeballs want, they could do everything in that confrontational style (the way Inside Edition did recently with Popoff).

Wouldn't it be cool to have psychics start fighting like the trailer trash on Jerry Springer?

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Questioninggeller said:

"We were very impressed," Estevens said.

"This psychic is a police tool that we're using. Our investigation is a compilation of all our tools. "

Click to expand...

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