An Orange County, North Carolina court has sentenced Matthew John Reed (36) to 25 to 31 years in prison for the murder of the Rev. Kent Hinkson, a priest of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). On 23 March 2015 the court accept Reed’s guilty plea to charges of second degree murder and handed down its sentence.
Mr. Hinkson disappeared on Monday, August 4, and was last seen leaving the Wells Fargo branch bank in Durham. On Wednesday his car was discovered in the parking lot of an apartment complex approximately five miles from his home. The victim had no history of cognitive disorders and police believed the disappearance was suspicious. Police discovered the body a week after he had been reported missing in Eno River State Park.
Reed confessed to his mother of having murdered a “prominent” member of the community and his family alerted police. After his arrest, Reed admitted to detectives that he had strangled the priest two hours after having met him at a McDonald’s restaurant. After leaving restaurant together in the victim’s car, the killer claimed the two engaged in a sexual encounter. He told police that he then attempted to blackmail the victim and then murdered him. At the time of the crime, he further stated he was under the influence of Methamphetamine.
After Reed’s arrest, the victim’s family posted a message on their website stating:
Kent was a loving husband to one wife for 48 years. He was the father to 3 children and a grandfather to 8. He died at the age of 71. He pastored Presbyterian churches in Texas, California and Florida. When he moved to Durham six years ago, he was a volunteer priest at the All Saints Church in Durham. He was also a volunteer at the Bennett Place Civil War site. A visit to Kent Hinkson’s Facebook page will reveal his interests: God, family, history, philosophy, travel and global affairs, among other things. A great conversationalist, Kent could light up a room with his humor and intellect.
