The man accused of murdering a Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) has told the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation that he was under the influence of narcotics when he strangled the Rev. Kent Hinkson.
In an affidavit made public on 18 Sept 2014, Matthew Reed (36) is alleged to have confessed to his mother that he had murdered Mr. Hinkson, a retired volunteer priest at All Saints Anglican Church in Durham. Reed’s mother informed her son-in-law, a Pennsylvania police office, who notified the authorities in North Carolina.
Green led police to the body hidden in Eno River State Park and is alleged to have confessed to the crime. He has been charged with first degree murder and is being held in the Orange County Jail pending arraignment.
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.
Members of All Saints Church, a PEARUSA congregation, assisted police in searching for the missing priest, passing flyers round the neighborhood and canvassing potential witnesses to the disappearance.
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.
The affidavit released this week states the killer said he murdered the priest two hours after having met him at a McDonald’s restaurant. After leaving restaurant together in the victim’s car, the killer claimes he 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.