Slaying Suspect Surrenders at Schuller Church

GARDEN GROVE — A Central California man wanted in connection with the strangulation of a 57-year-old West Hollywood resident surrendered early Saturday morning after talking to a pastor at the Crystal Cathedral.

Mark Murray, 23, of San Luis Obispo was arrested in the Tower of Hope, a building in the church complex, by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies shortly after 4 a.m. Murray had been sought by investigators after Richard Roberts was found strangled in his Sweetzer Avenue apartment on Oct. 31, sheriff’s Deputy Patrick Hunter said.

Pastor Sandy Freud of the Crystal Cathedral said he had advised Murray on Friday to surrender. He later made arrangements for him to be turned over to deputies.

The Crystal Cathedral, founded by television evangelist Robert Schuller, is known worldwide from Schuller’s “Hour of Power,” broadcast from the church each Sunday. The cathedral is the headquarters of the Dutch Reformed Church of America. Freud would not discuss some details of his meeting with Murray, claiming it was a privileged discussion between a minister and “someone in need.” But he said it was arranged by the suspect’s mother, a regular church member.

“There wasn’t much advising to do,” Freud said. “He was ready to give himself up and I told him it was the best thing to do. He said he was very remorseful . . . and he was also surrendering to save his 18-year-old brother, who was arrested in Las Vegas for the murder.”

Hunter said he could not say if Murray’s brother had been detained by authorities in Las Vegas, but he confirmed that last week homicide detectives had left Los Angeles County to “pursue out-of-state leads.”

Freud said he was confident Murray would surrender after he spoke with the suspect and his mother Friday evening. He said he had given Murray’s mother a list of telephone numbers where he could be reached.

“When I arrived at a dinner party in Placentia I got a message that Mark Murray had called,” he said. “I immediately returned his call and he asked me whether we should meet at a coffee shop or someplace else to surrender to police. I told him the best place was at my office.”

Upon arriving at Tower of Hope offices, Freud said he called the Los Angeles County sheriff’s homicide office and asked them to page the investigating sergeant, who lives in neighboring Orange. The pastor said he and Murray spoke while they waited for officers to reach the church.

“There was really never any question about what he wanted to do,” Freud said. “He was scared and he was sorry. It was also extremely important that he cleared his brother.”

Homicide detectives arrived with a camera crew from the Fox Broadcasting series “Cops.” The crew was taping a typical night’s work when the detectives took Murray into custody.