Jobless Man Held in Slaying of Nun Who Gave Him a Home
An unemployed 50-year-old man was charged early today with the brutal slaying of a nun who took him into her home as an act of charity.
Police said Karl Caldwell told them he bashed Sister Miriam Friday’s head against the floor and then shoved her in the bathtub, scalding her with boiling water after an argument about $35 he had taken from her and his cleanliness.
“His temper flared,” Police Sgt. Raymond Gawne said. “She had chided him in the past about it and when she chided him again an argument flared up.”
Caldwell allegedly told detectives he punched the nun between 10 and 15 times, knocking her to the bathroom floor. Caldwell then bashed her head against the floor and threw her in the tub, scalding her with the water, Gawne said.
Police were awaiting autopsy results to determine whether Caldwell also stabbed Sister Friday, 50, who chose to live in a high-crime neighborhood so she could help the homeless.
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